BEFORE a fetus is born, its brain undergoes the complex process of refining the connections between its different regions. Now a computer model is showing us how.
Although our genes provide an initial blueprint for the way different neurons connect together, the developing brain must still refine the wiring and prune out any redundant connections. “It’s a big challenge to have a system that is ready by the time of birth so that newborns can begin experiencing the world right away,” says Jean-Philippe Thivierge from Indiana University, Bloomington.
“The developing brain must refine its wiring and prune out any redundant connections before birth”…
