Although some of the brain's most compelling attributes remain a mystery to researchers, the advent of novel experimental approaches and state-of-the-art imaging techniques are transforming our understanding of gray matter.

Work at the Center for Human Development in UC San Diego's Division of Social Sciences utilizes many of these cutting-edge techniques, including the most important new tool in the field of neuroscience: functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery (fMRI).

According to the center's director, cognitive scientist Joan Stiles, fMRI technology allows researchers to examine the part of the brain that is active when a person does a specific task such as reading or problem solving. The technology works by measuring the blood flow to the brain, indicating where activity in the brain is occurring. This enables researchers to gain a better understanding of the relationship between behavior and brain development.

For the last decade, Stiles has studied the effects of brain injury on the development of neurological, linguistic, and cognitive functions. Her research findings challenge traditional views of early brain plasticity, presenting an alternative view of the developing brain as dynamic, responsive, and to some extent, self-organizing.

While researchers have long known that the first three years of life are the most crucial for brain development, more recent research has revealed that brain plasticity never stops and that the brain is constantly responding to new stimuli and new demands.