Evening star., 1933-10-24
BABIES BRA|NLESS,
SCIENTIST LEARNS
Have Gray Matter, But Vital
Nerve Pathways Lack In.
SuIati0n at Birth.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The newborn baby is practically
brainless.
It's behavior is essentially that of a
brain stem preparation" concludes DR..
o. r. Langworthy of the Carnegie In
stitution of Washington in his report
on an intensive investigation OF the
growth Of the nervous system before
and after birth.
DR.. Langworthy studied the process
of "myeliniZa ton" of nerve flberS IN
opossums kittens and human infants.
Most nerve fiberS are surrounded by a
whitish sheath, which apparently acts
as an insulating material. Some nerve
pathways become myelinated long before
birth, while others do not develop the
sheath until several months afterWard
There has been considerable disagree
ment as to whether nerve can func-
tion at all until it has become in
sulated."
DR.. Langworthy concludes that it does
not function, with the exception OF
some movements which have been OBJ
served very early before birth, and that
the characteristic behavior associated
with a particular nerve center does not
appear until the nerve fibers associated
with that center have become myelin-
ated. This appeared equally true for
the opossum, the kitten and the in
FAINT, which are on three ascending
stages of mammalian evolution.
Hook-up Not Complete.
But, DR.. Langworthy finds, the
myelinated fibers of the newborn baby
do not extend to the upper levels of
the brain. The gray matter" is there,
ready to function, but it has not been
wired up with the rest of the organism.
In experiments with animals the top OF
the brain can be removed down to the
centers in the brain stem which control
breathing and heart beat, and the ami
ma! remains alive. This is known as
brain stem preparation" to physiolo-
gists which is essentially what DR..
Langworthy finds the newborn infant
to be.
The process of myelinization itself. he
finds. apparently is initiated only when
the nerve center is stimulated. Thus
at birth there Is no myelinizatlon OF the
optic and olefactory nerve tracts to the
brain, unon which depend the functions
Of seeing and smelling. This explains
why the newborn baby cannot see.
But. DR.. Langworthy says its process
goes on very rapidly once the eyes are
opened and. he believes, because OF
this. Preventing the opening Of an
eye at the proper time delays the
process in the corresponding optic
tract.
Process Is Outward.
Generally. he finds the process OF
wiring up the nervous system so that
It can function proceeds from within
outward.
The first movements come months
before birth and long before there has
been any sheathing of the nerve tracts,
and he believes these are due to direct
stimulation of the nuclei of the nerve
cells themselves by substances carried
in the blood. These movements them
selves start of the process of myeliniza-
tion of the fbers leading from the
spinal cord. Such movements involve
large portions of the body. are slow. OF
small amplitude and often trennulous.
The sensory zone is very large and the
motor response is diffuse.
THE pathways in the nervous system
become myeliEated in the order in
which they are developed phylogentl-
cally." he says. There is a definite
march of myelinization in the opossum.
cat and man that holds good for all
three.
Aside from the movements observed
in the early foetal life, there is consid-
cradle evidence that tracts in the nerv-
o,ls system become myelinated at the
time they become functional. Take for
example, the sensory tracts. The foetus
may receive tactile. gustatory and audi
tory impressions The paths conveying
these impressions show myelin at the
end of the sixth month and are myelin-
ated up to the thalamus at time of
birth. The pain pathways become mye-
linated about the time of birth.
Coordination Lack Explained.
1.-THE reflex activity of the newborn
human infant could all be mediated by