A notion derived from animal studies, which claims that when the developing organism is subjected to perinatal insults such as hypoxia, then the supply of oxygen and nutrients is preferentially directed to the brain at the expense of other vital organs like the kidneys and liver. Recent research, including that with preterm infants suffering from intrauterine growth restriction, has questioned the validity of this claim. In another vein, we have the Kennard Principle or Doctrine, named after Margaret Kennard (1899-1975) who was perhaps the first to demonstrate behavioral sparing following lesions to the motor cortex in neonatal monkeys during the 1930s. She established the modern era of research on brain sparing and functional recovery by showing that a number of factors, and not only lesions, can affect post-injury performance. In addition, she recognized that if neural reorganisation does occur, then it probably happens in the damaged parts of the nervous system.
See Developmental plasticity, Hypoxia, Intrauterine growth restriction or retardation (IUGR), Plasticity (neural), Preterm infant