Anatomo - functional features of the nervous system of children

The mass of the brain in a newborn is relatively greater than in an adult and is 350-380 g, i.e. about 10% of the total mass. By the end of the 1st year, it increases by 2-2.5 times, by 3 years - by 3 times. In a 10-year-old child, the brain weighs 1350 g - 1/20 of body weight, in an adult 1 / 40-1 / 50 of body weight. The number of convolutions and furrows of the cerebral hemispheres in newborns is the same as in adults, but they are poorly developed and the cortex is slightly differentiated. Brain cells retain the embryonic nature of the structure in the first months of life. They have a large core and few processes (dendrites). In the cells of the pyramidal pathways and substantia nigra there is no pigment. The main differentiation of nerve cells ends at the age of 8, it is especially active in the first 5-6 months of life.