Brain development begins before birth. By 27 days after fertilization, the embryo forms and closes the neural tube, which later transforms into the brain and the spinal cord of the fetus. At birth, a baby has more than 100 billion brain cells. During pregnancy and in the first months of life, nutrition is very important for brain cells to form the connections that shape thinking, learning and behavior.
Folic Acid
This B vitamin helps prevent serious abnormalities of both the brain and the spinal cord. Because the neural tube forms so early in pregnancy, this is an essential vitamin for a pregnant woman to take for her infant's brain health, preventing such conditions as spina bifida and hydrocephalus. A deficiency in folic acid also appears to be related to a defect in neurotransmitter function, resulting in symptoms of depression.
Vitamin B12
This vitamin is essential to maintaining healthy myelin, the tissue that surrounds and insulates nerve tissue. The myelin sheath speeds the transmission of electrical signals to the cells of the brain. Nutritional deficiencies can lead to a delay in this transmission.
Choline
Choline is another B vitamin that is found in peanuts, soy, milk and eggs. The nutrient helps cells in the brain develop and transmit messages. Researchers from North Carolina found that babies from mothers who consumed extra choline were smarter, and the only time to gain the suggested benefits of the vitamin are in the womb while the brain is developing.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is required by the brain to make neurotransmitters. A study from the University of Copenhagen found that a vitamin C deficiency may impair the mental development of newborn infants because of a reduction in neurons in the brain.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is required for development of the cerebrum of the brain. The cerebrum is part of the forebrain and controls behaviors such as social interactions, learning, memory, and speech and language. Additionally, a recent study from Japan found that prenatal deficiency in Vitamin D can lead to a softening of the skull bones in newborns, a condition called craniotabes.
