Brain development, although largely driven by genetic processes, also is influenced by environmental factors. However, there has been little discussion in the psychiatric literature on the role of stochastic, or chance, events that take place during neurodevelopment. Studies suggest that the brain capitalizes on and regulates the extent of stochastic processes during development. Furthermore, because neurodevelopment is influenced by environmental factors, there is emerging evidence that fostering those positive environmental factors during prenatal and early life could optimize neurodevelopment and provide greater resilience, including those potentially resulting from stochastic processes. Evidence for the role of environmental factors in optimizing early brain development is supported by work in large population-based studies of child development, randomized control trials in high-risk populations, and early-life adoption studies. The public health message is that creating an environment that fosters optimal brain development during prenatal and early life could prevent psychopathology and provide the developing brain the best chance against negative stochastic processes and potential stressors that are inevitable later in life.

大脑发育虽然很大程度上受遗传过程驱动，但也受环境因素影响。但是，在精神病学文献中，关于神经发育过程中发生的随机事件或偶然事件的作用的讨论很少。研究表明，大脑在发育过程中利用并调节了随机过程的程度。此外，由于神经发育受环境因素影响，因此有新证据表明，在产前和生命早期培养那些积极的环境因素可以优化神经发育并提供更大的适应力，包括那些可能由随机过程引起的弹性。在大型基于儿童的儿童研究，高风险人群的随机对照试验以及早期收养研究中，工作为环境因素在优化早期大脑发育中的作用提供了证据。公共卫生信息是，创造一种能够在产前和生命早期促进最佳大脑发育的环境可以预防精神病理学，并为发育中的大脑提供最好的机会，以抵御生活后期不可避免的负面随机过程和潜在压力。