<p>There seem to be these two contradictory ideas about the structure and development of the human brain:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>that the brain is self wiring - that neurons interconnect with one another automatically (sampling widely and then only retaining the useful connections)</p>
</li>
<li><p>that the overall anatomy of the brain, the specialization of different regions, is consistent from individual to individual</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>To what extent do our genes code for the structure of the brain? It seems impossible that our genes could dictate every synapse. Is there a boundary, some characteristic scale, that distinguishes these two domains?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-15T20:55:56.680Z
I think this is a difficult question to attempt to answer within a reasonable length for StackExchange. The field you are interested in is development, specifically neurodevelopment. A lot of more general principles of development (those that lead to the tissues and organs of the body, body plan, segmentation, etc) apply just as well to the nervous system and brain. A lot of the broad plan of the nervous system is maybe best thought of like Origami: a series of specific, relatively simple steps that occur at a specific time and place.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-15T20:58:00.277Z
As far as "wiring", that sequence leads to certain 'wires' being in a reliable place in different individuals; the "vision parts" of the brain develop where the "eye wires" end up after that process of folding and expansion.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-16T03:09:33.257Z
I would imagine that the orgami phase would peter out eventually, after all it's hard to imagine explicitly coding all the folds that lead to fully assembled brain. I guess I'm wondering how many neurons is too few to code for.
Keith
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-16T03:23:05.353Z
I don't really understand your comment. The consequences of the folding I describe are permanent; yes, all of the folds of the brain. I don't just mean the neocortex, the surface folds you see in a human brain, but everything. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_nervous_system might be a place to start for a very superficial overview.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-16T04:14:59.463Z
A few related posts: [How does it come about that specific areas of the brain are associated with specific functions?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/10794/7001), [How are newly created neurons recruited into existing networks?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/318/7001), [Re-arrangement of brain's functions](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/12859/7001).
Arnon Weinberg
<brain-development>
To what extent is the brain self-wiring?
Keith
# To what extent is the brain self-wiring?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-05-15)

There seem to be these two contradictory ideas about the structure and development of the human brain:

1. that the brain is self wiring - that neurons interconnect with one another automatically (sampling widely and then only retaining the useful connections)
2. that the overall anatomy of the brain, the specialization of different regions, is consistent from individual to individual

To what extent do our genes code for the structure of the brain? It seems impossible that our genes could dictate every synapse. Is there a boundary, some characteristic scale, that distinguishes these two domains?

**Tags:** brain-development

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think this is a difficult question to attempt to answer within a reasonable length for StackExchange. The field you are interested in is development, specifically neurodevelopment. A lot of more general principles of development (those that lead to the tissues and organs of the body, body plan, segmentation, etc) apply just as well to the nervous system and brain. A lot of the broad plan of the nervous system is maybe best thought of like Origami: a series of specific, relatively simple steps that occur at a specific time and place.  
> **username_1**: As far as "wiring", that sequence leads to certain 'wires' being in a reliable place in different individuals; the "vision parts" of the brain develop where the "eye wires" end up after that process of folding and expansion.  
> **username_0**: I would imagine that the orgami phase would peter out eventually, after all it's hard to imagine explicitly coding all the folds that lead to fully assembled brain. I guess I'm wondering how many neurons is too few to code for.  
> **username_1**: I don't really understand your comment. The consequences of the folding I describe are permanent; yes, all of the folds of the brain. I don't just mean the neocortex, the surface folds you see in a human brain, but everything. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_nervous_system might be a place to start for a very superficial overview.  
> **username_2**: A few related posts: [How does it come about that specific areas of the brain are associated with specific functions?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/10794/7001), [How are newly created neurons recruited into existing networks?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/318/7001), [Re-arrangement of brain's functions](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/12859/7001).  

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