Early Life Experience Can Change the Brain, For Good or Ill

That early childhood experiences can alter the brain is not a new hypothesis. What makes this article interesting is:

In the past decade, many studies have suggested that adverse experiences early in life, including physical and sexual abuse, can leave lasting marks on the brain, subtly altering both the structure and function of key areas. But as the neuroscience community has moved away from taking a nature versus nurture stance when it comes to understanding brain development—now placing more emphasis on how the two influence each other—scientists are learning that perhaps all of our early life experiences, good and bad, help shape our future brains. Two new studies presented at this year’s Society for Neuroscience meeting support this notion, suggesting that both socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive enrichment early in life are linked to measureable anatomical changes in the brain. (Emphasis added) http://www.dana.org/news/features/detail.aspx?id=40044

I would not of expected the studies to dismiss the good experiences. The author talks about Socioeconomic Indicators and Cognitive enrichment and development telling us what all this means:

Farah is quick to point out that her study is the first to look at “normal” home experience and brain development and there is still quite a bit of work to do. Yet, she says, the findings correspond with work that has been done with children raised in abusive and neglectful environments. “It’s clear that the great strength, and the great vulnerability, of the brain is its responsiveness to the environment,” she says.

So what might parents take away from these studies? Is there reason to panic about SES or the number of books found in the home during the pre-school years? Regina Sullivan, a neuroscientist at the New York University School of Medicine who studies the effects of abuse on attachment and the brain, says that parents shouldn’t worry too much about there being only one “right” way to successfully foster good development in their kids.

“Humans are successful because of their ability to adapt. Trauma sets up the brain so it can’t adapt as easily and that can lead to pathology. So obviously that should be avoided at all costs,” she says. “But many different cultures produce great, successful children. Lots of parenting styles and techniques work, regardless of background. And I’d say the keys to that success are consistency, predictability, and respect.”

Consistency, predictability, and respect make sense. What is key for me is the awareness of parents to these necessities and their willingness to make the effort to include these essentials into the daily lives of their children.

Thanks for sharing this information!