Human Growth and Development / Unit 3 HGD 0318 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Pruning and Myelination
Captions available
The idea
Synaptic pruning removes unused connections into the teenage years, while myelination, coating axons in myelin, is fastest in the first two years.
In practice
Connections that are used strengthening, and connections that are not falling away.
Where people slip
Myelination continues across life; white matter, the myelinated axon bundles, increases fastest in the first two years.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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