5.8: Conclusion

This chapter aimed to provide an overview of the development of the human nervous system and the brain, including how it is influenced by genetics, epigenetics, and evolution. The different stages of nervous system and brain development are key for understanding how brain functions and behaviors emerge across the lifespan. Also, recognizing how neural networks emerge, as well as the extent of their malleability across the lifespan, is important for creating interventions to preserve cognitive function. Coordinated efforts to characterize brain development are already underway and will advance our understanding of how individual differences in brain function and behavior may emerge across the lifespan.