Frank Duffy's Analysis

What was particularly memorable to you? What images or statements were meaningful to you? Why were they memorable? Be specific
Watching a frail, premature infant go from the incubator, hooked up to monitors, to a healthy baby, as good as a full-term infant and the brain development she had when the scan was done, was extremely memorable. I was amazed at Frank Duffy’s analysis from the video that Baby Elizabeth had exceeded expectations, especially regarding her EEG and with normal brain development. This was evidence enough of the influence nurture had in her progress and the resilience of infants to overcome the odds, given the right environment to thrive and develop in psychomotor and cognitive areas. It was also fascinating to observe Baby
I was fascinated by how they knew where to go and what to do, like they had a brain of their own with an innate GPS directing them to migrate among a vast network of cables. This visual was meaningful to me for spiritual reasons. Being a theist, this was nothing short of a miracle. The concept of design, plasticity and the dynamic components of the brain is fascinating, unique and complex, not random and objective. Unique in the sense that only human infant brains are wired to behave and develop in such a manner. Pasko T. Rakic, a neuroscientist with Yale University, said, “The brain is the organ that sets us apart from any other species. It is not the strength of our muscles or of our bones that makes us different, it is our
The transient exuberance and pruning that happens at this stage is critical in refining the development and fine tuning of the brain. As a result, exposing an infant to as many opportunities or affordances in his/her environment, in order to achieve maximum benefit and sustaining these affordances, especially in early development, will help refine and strengthen those neurons, using nature as well as