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The Postnatal Development of the Brain and Its Coverings

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Head Injuries in the Newborn and Infant

Part of the book series: Principles of Pediatric Neurosurgery ((PRINCPEDIATR))

Abstract

Until recently, it was thought that the important stages in the development of the brain occurred before birth and that postnatal growth merely represented an increase in size, not complexity. This concept has been shown to be incorrect. It is now known that the rapid expansion of the brain after birth reflects ongoing maturational processes that increase connections among neurons and facilitate neuronal function.1,2 Many of these refinements continue until well into adulthood and may be utilized in the brain’s response to injury.12,13,14

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© 1986 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Peacock, W.J. (1986). The Postnatal Development of the Brain and Its Coverings. In: Raimondi, A.J., Choux, M., Di Rocco, C. (eds) Head Injuries in the Newborn and Infant. Principles of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7183-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7183-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-7185-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-7183-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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