Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind

by Joe Dispenza

The second growth acceleration begins during the third trimester of pregnancy (seventh, eighth, and ninth months), continues after birth and through to approximately six months to one year of age. An enormous increase in the total number of nerve cells occurs during this period. During the third trimester, the fetal brain develops and refines all the structures or regions that make up the adult brain and make the human brain distinct from other species, including all of the folds and valleys described in chapter 4. The brain’s initial wiring is firmly established during this second neurological growth spurt. In fact, at this time, the baby possesses more brain cells and synaptic connections than it will ever have throughout her normal adult life. These are essentially the raw materials with which the child will begin her lifelong process of learning and change. The number and health of synaptic connections is more important than the total number of nerve cells. For as we now understand, the density and the complexity of dendrite connections wire the brain for greater development, enriched intellectual and practical learning, accelerated skills, and permanent memory.