Neural pruning: what it is, stages and when it occurs

Neurosciences are one of the most exciting areas that deal with the study of the human being from a neurological point of view. As time has passed, more and more researchers have shown interest in understanding the functioning of the human body. In this sense, it should be noted that the procedures used in the past differ markedly compared to the current ones.

Due to these circumstances, it can be enlightening for us to understand how neurons function and in what processes they are involved. If you want to know more, in this Psychology-Online article you will find information about the Neuronal pruning: what it is, stages and when it occurs.

Index

1. What is neural pruning
2. Neural pruning stages
3. When does neural pruning occur?
4. How long does neural pruning last?

Neural pruning is a procedure whose objective is to eliminate synaptic connections that are carried out in the neuronal tissue. In this sense, it should be noted that neurons communicate with each other through a process called

When a person is born, he develops millions of neural connections because the organism is in a period of formation. However, the truth is that there are several synapses that have no use for the individual, since they are not necessary for the correct functioning of the organism.

In these cases, the so-called neuronal pruning occurs, which has as a consequence a strengthening of the useful and necessary neuronal connections to process the information. Accordingly, this process allows a better performance of the vital functions of the human being, as well as the acquisition of new motor and cognitive skills.

If you want to better understand the concept of neural pruning, it is important to understand that it is divided into different stages that depend on the vital moment in which each person is. In this section, we will distinguish which are the stages of neuronal pruning:

1. synaptic formation: period framed by the creation of millions of synaptic connections that takes place when we are born. This stage begins before birth and lasts until approximately two years of age. As mentioned above, it could be said that there is an overpopulation of neural connections, since many of them do not turn out to be useful over time.
2. Neural pruning initiation: after three years of age, the actual neuronal pruning begins. Although we place this stage in second place, it has the same importance as synaptic formation in the organism.
3. Completion of neural pruning: when you reach the stage of adolescence, neuronal pruning increases. In general, this leads to better brain function, since it will no longer be necessary to use all the neural connections. In other words, adolescence is the period in which they are optimized.

Neural pruning directly affects the brain development of human beings. For this reason, this procedure is crucial to understand how our brain works and why each individual shows specific characteristics.

In general terms, neural pruning begins at age 3 and lasts until the end of adolescence. The chronological moment in which neuronal pruning occurs is very important, because if it does not take place in this period of time, could lead to neurological diseases associated with the overproduction of synaptic connections such as schizophrenia, among other. This pathology can be more noticeable in children and adolescents since their brain is in the process of formation.

It is very important to take into account the importance of neuronal pruning for the development of each person. Beyond the fact that human beings can present qualities that differentiate them from others, the general time parameter for neuronal pruning ranges from 3 to 20 years of age.

So that, during these seventeen years a neuronal reorganization occurs that will define the brain speed with which the information from the environment will be processed from that moment on. If you want to better understand this process, do not miss this article on how the human brain works.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Neural pruning: what it is, stages and when it occurs, we recommend that you enter our category of neuropsychology.

• Campos-Rego, T. (2012). Effects of synaptic pruning in adolescence "A neurobiological understanding of adolescent behavior". Update Journal in Neuroscience and Health, 17 (1), 4-7.
• Cortes-Cortes, M. (2019). Brain development and learning in adolescents: Importance of physical activity. Medical Journal of Chile, 149 (2), 130-131.
• Rohlfs Dominguez, P. (2016). Development of the human nervous system. Overview of the prenatal stage until 2013. International Journal of Psychology, 15 (1), 1-50.