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Skip to main content. Birth defects. Home Birth defects. Central nervous system birth defects. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. The central nervous system CNS The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord.
Risk factors and prevention of CNS birth defects Neural tube defects are thought to be caused by a range of genetic and environmental factors working in combination. Some of these factors include: The mother has a folate deficiency — if the mother is lacking some nutrients, especially the B-group vitamin called folate folic acid , the chance of having a baby with a NTD is increased.
If folate is taken before conception and at least for the first four weeks of pregnancy,around seven out of 10 cases of NTDs can be prevented.
You should talk to your doctor about how much folate you should take if you are thinking of becoming pregnant. Genetics — the exact genetic association is unclear, but a woman is at increased risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect if she has a close relative who has had a baby with the condition a family history.
A woman who has already given birth to a child with a neural tube defect is also at increased risk of having subsequent babies with a similar condition.
Having a personal or family history of a NTD can influence the amount of folate needed to reduce the chance of having a baby with a neural tube defect. In some cases, however, there is evidence to suggest that some forms of neural tube defects are caused by specific genetic changes mutations that are not related to folate.
In these cases, the neural tube defect is caused by the baby inheriting faulty gene copies from both parents. Skip to main content Skip to footer.
Close Search Submit. Upcoming Events. Learning Center. Search Submit. Read more about: Brain Development. Back to top. Article Which plays a more important role in brain development, nature genes or nurture environment? We believe you should always know the source of the information you're reading. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. The fetal nervous system — i. In fact, it's making big strides before you even know you're pregnant. Also at about week 5 of pregnancy, the neural plate folds onto itself to form the neural tube, which closes by about week 6 of pregnancy to eventually become the brain and spinal cord.
By week 8, electrical activity begins in the brain — allowing your baby to coordinate his first spontaneous movements that doctors can even see on an ultrasound! In fact, the cerebral cortex — which is responsible for voluntary actions, thinking and feeling — only starts to work around the end of pregnancy, with simple electrical activity detectable in regions associated with senses like touch and motor skills in premature babies.
There are five different regions of the brain that develop, each responsible for different functions:. With the biology lesson out of the way, read on to find out how and when these various parts start developing.
A mere 16 days after conception, your fetus's neural plate forms think of it as the foundation of your baby's brain and spinal cord. It grows longer and folds onto itself, until that fold morphs into a groove and that groove turns into a tube — the neural tube. Once the neural tube closes at around week 6 of pregnancy, it curves and bulges into three sections, commonly known as the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. Just to the rear of the hindbrain sits the part that will turn into your baby's spinal cord.
Soon, these areas bubble into those five different regions of the brain that we're most familiar with: the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. Of course, all of these fetal brain areas need more time to be fully up and running! At the same time, special neural cells form and move throughout the embryo to kickstart nerve development. Your baby's nervous system is made up of millions upon millions of neurons.
Each of these microscopic cells have itty-bitty branches coming off of them so that they can connect and communicate with each other.
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Pregnancy week by week. Products and services. Fetal development: The 1st trimester Fetal development begins soon after conception.
By Mayo Clinic Staff. Open pop-up dialog box Fertilization and implantation Close. Fertilization and implantation During fertilization, the sperm and egg unite in one of the fallopian tubes to form a zygote. Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development three weeks after conception Close. Fetal development three weeks after conception By the end of the fifth week of pregnancy — three weeks after conception — your hormone levels are rising.
Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development four weeks after conception Close. Fetal development four weeks after conception By the end of the sixth week of pregnancy — four weeks after conception — small buds appear that will become arms.
Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development five weeks after conception Close. Fetal development five weeks after conception By the end of the seventh week of pregnancy — five weeks after conception — your baby's brain and face are the focus of development. Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development six weeks after conception Close. Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development seven weeks after conception Close.
Fetal development seven weeks after conception By the end of the ninth week of pregnancy — seven weeks after conception — your baby's elbows appear. Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development eight weeks after conception Close.
Fetal development eight weeks after conception By the end of the 10th week of pregnancy — eight weeks after conception — your baby's toes and fingers lose their webbing and become longer. Open pop-up dialog box Fetal development 10 weeks after conception Close.
Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Pregnancy: Stages of pregnancy. Office on Women's Health. Accessed Feb. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Your Pregnancy and Childbirth Month to Month. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists;
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