When we started homeschooling our children I had no idea that they were gifted. The experience of teaching has taught me far more than I've taught my children. Each piece has a specific function. Several pieces working in concert manage to perform other functions.
Some pieces handle what comes in.
Other pieces handle sending messages out. Life experience is translated by the human body into chemical reactions in the brain. From there, experience takes over. Everything that happens to the child, from the moment the brain begins to develop, has an influence upon the development of the brain. And, this includes the creation and modification of neural pathways and memories which are encoded as proteins and other chemicals.