What's Going on in There?

More about the book

As a research neuroscientist, Lise Eliot dedicated her career to studying the human brain. Her curiosity deepened during her first pregnancy, leading her to explore brain development, including how a baby's brain forms and when each sense, skill, and cognitive ability emerges. She sought to understand the balance between genetic predisposition and environmental influence in her child's development. Can parents enhance their baby's cognitive abilities to foster smarter, happier individuals? Drawing on extensive research and real-life stories, this engaging book charts brain development from conception through the critical first five years. It examines essential factors influencing this process, including the evolution of senses, motor skills, social and emotional behaviors, and cognitive functions like attention, language, memory, reasoning, and intelligence. Key topics include the assembly of a baby's brain, critical prenatal influences, the impact of the birthing process, effective stimulation for cognitive growth, gender differences in brain development, and how nutrition and stress can permanently affect a child's brain. Blending cutting-edge science with maternal insight, this book is a vital contribution to the nature versus nurture debate, demonstrating how parents can significantly support their children's brain development.