How Your Brain GROWS UP

YOUR BRAIN ISN'T STAGNANT; THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFETIME, MANY CHANGES occur as a result of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors that accompany emotional, intellectual, and physical milestones, says Dr. Natteru. Use this overview of common milestones to prep for what may be ahead for you or your kids.

- ARRICCA ELIN SANSONE

Childhood

You can't miss the fact that babies stick everything in their mouths and toddlers are eager to explore. As their brains develop, they are forming new connections to help them make sense of the world. After birth, the brain receives info through stimuli mechanical (touch, texture), chemical (tastes and smells), and visual (e.g., light)-to help sensory pathways, including vision and hearing, develop. Our sensory receptors are constantly activated, "and the brain learns how to interpret all this information from the environment," says Agenor Limon, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch. In the first few years of life, more than a million new neural connections are formed every second.

Adolescence