Scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have studied the brain scans of volunteers age 7-31 to understand the organizational structure of the brain and how it changes over time.
What they found were true differences between children's brains and those of adults. A child's neural connections are more organized based on the neurons proximity to each other when compared to the organization of adults, whose neural networks are more effective and efficient based on function rather than proximity.
Scientists hope the study of brain organization differences will lead them to better understand developmental disorders and those caused by brain injury.
The difference in organization does not, the scientists warn, explain why children can be scatter brained. The brains of children are "differently organized but at least as capable as an adult brain."
What the study doesn't answer is how experiences and learning by children affect their brain, or whether certain experiences can help improve mental organization.
One series I recommend to impact a yound developing mind is the series: Building Thinking Skills. To improve visual perception in young children, think about the series: Visual Perceptual Skill Building . Use the links to learn more at my online information center at Thinking To Learn.com
You can find an interesting animation depicting the changes to brain organization found in this study using this link:
Child Brains Organized Differently Than Adult Brains | LiveScience.
