after the neural tube closes, around the 6th or 7th week of pregnancy, the neural tube will bend and swell into three parts, namely the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain
Then in the 8th week of pregnancy and beyond, these nerves make connections with each other, with muscles and other tissues, then with organs like your baby's eyes and ears.
At the 12th week, the nerves begin to be able to send simple signals that stimulate the baby's reflexes. So, the baby can open, close, and roll his fingers.
Babies can also squint their eye muscles and make sucking movements with their mouths. Around the 20th week, a protective, whitish coating called myelin begins to grow around the nerves of the fetus.
myelin insulates nerves and speeds up their complex messaging system. This myelin continues to develop during pregnancy until the first year of your little one's life.
At 28 weeks, the nerves are connected to the organs in the baby's body, so that your baby's sense of hearing, sight, smell and taste can begin to function. At this time, the fetus can recognize the sound of your breathing, heartbeat, and the rumbling of your digestion
The fetus also begins to blink in response to bright light, and can even see colors. Then in the last trimester of pregnancy, brain development will accelerate because the weight has tripled.
Deep grooves are starting to form in the baby's cerebrum to allow more surface area for brain cells to communicate with one another