Continuing Education for Psychologists

INFANT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
Formation of the Mind and the Emergence of Consciousness

This book describes the main milestones of early brain development and the emergence of consciousness, from fetus to about four years, with a particular focus on the preterm infant. These facts offer new perspectives on issues concerning fetal pain, awareness in newborns, and the effects of current digital media on the developing infant brain.

Among the topics covered: Brain patterning, neural proliferation, and migration; The stress of being born and first breaths; The stream of consciousness; Parenting and stimulating the brain of the child; The moral status of the fetus and the infant.

Hugo Lagercrantz was appointed professor of pediatrics at Karolinska Institutet 1989. He was director of the Neonatal Programme at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital until 2004. He has been president of the Swedish Pediatric Society and the European Society for Pediatric Research. He has also been European chief editor for Pediatric Research and is presently editor-in-chief for Acta Paediatrica. He has been a member of the Nobel Assembly and the Nobel Committee. He found that the fetus mobilizes very high levels of catecholamines during normal birth and coined the expression "The stress of being born" (Scientific American 1986).

This book is a joy to read for anyone interested in understanding where biology is heading in the 21st century, and it is essential for those who work in child development.
--Eric Kandel, University Professor, Columbia University, Co-Director, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Nobel Laureate in Medicine 2000

"With the precision of a scientist, the depth of a philosopher, and the heart and sensitivity of a pediatrician, Hugo Lagercrantz weaves a story as readable and engrossing as any mystery novel, linking brain, genes, the environment, and behavior to explain the development of the mind of a newborn. A tour de force!"
--Patricia K. Kuhl, The Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, Co-Director, Institute for Learning Brain Sciences, University of Washington

"This book is a noble and valiant effort by Dr. Lagercrantz to explain the immensely complex issue of normal and pathological development of the human brain in simple terms that are accessible to the general public."
--Pasko Rakic, Duberg Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine