Which of the following statements is true regarding brain development in early childhood?

• A. The brain reaches its full adult size by the age of three.
• B. Myelination of neurons is complete before birth.
• C. Synaptic density increases rapidly during early childhood, followed by a process known as synaptic pruning.
• D. There is little change in the number of neural connections during early childhood.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the key concepts related to brain development in early childhood, including brain size, myelination, synaptic density, and synaptic pruning.
2. Recall that while the brain grows rapidly in early childhood, it does not reach its full adult size by age three; growth continues beyond this age.
3. Recognize that myelination, the process of coating neurons with a fatty sheath to improve signal transmission, begins before birth but continues well into childhood and adolescence.
4. Focus on synaptic density, which refers to the number of connections between neurons; this density increases rapidly during early childhood as the brain forms many new connections.
5. Understand synaptic pruning as the process following the rapid increase in synaptic density, where the brain eliminates weaker or less used connections to improve efficiency and function.