Establishment of Neurodevelopment in the First 1000 Days of Life

The first 1000 days of life are the most imperative period for establishing the foundations of the nervous system in human beings. During this time, rapid proliferation, differentiation, and synaptogenesis of neurons occur, and different capabilities, including cognition, language, motor, and socioemotional, develop. Numerous genetic and environmental factors during pregnancy and early childhood might have a positive or negative impact on the neurodevelopmental process. According to the great impact of neurodevelopmental impairments on human quality of life and lifelong well-being, it is essential to take into account both harmful and beneficial factors in neurodevelopment. In this chapter, we aim to summarize these factors affecting the establishment of neurodevelopment and then discuss the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, besides the usual traditional ones (single-disciplinary), to discover the gaps in improving the neurodevelopmental process.