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Early Childhood Neglect Associated With Altered Brain Structure, ADHD
vinces99 writes "Under the rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, thousands of Romanian children were placed in overcrowded orphanages with bleak conditions and minimal human contact, a legacy that continued even after the 1989 revolution. Only recently have research and public concern caused policy changes.
University of Washington research on children who began life in these institutions shows that early childhood neglect is associated with changes in brain structure. A paper published this month in Biological Psychiatry shows that children who spent their early years in these institutions have thinner brain tissue in cortical areas that correspond to impulse control and attention. "These differences suggest a way that the early care environment has dramatic and lasting effects for children's functioning," said lead author Katie McLaughlin, a UW assistant professor of psychology.
Since 2000, the Bucharest Early Intervention Project has worked to document and treat the children's health. McLaughlin joined the team about six years ago to focus on brain development. This study is among the first in any setting to document how social deprivation in early life affects the thickness of the cortex, the thin folded layer of gray matter that forms the outer layer of the brain. The study provides "very strong support" for a link between the early environment and ADHD, McLaughlin said.
University of Washington research on children who began life in these institutions shows that early childhood neglect is associated with changes in brain structure. A paper published this month in Biological Psychiatry shows that children who spent their early years in these institutions have thinner brain tissue in cortical areas that correspond to impulse control and attention. "These differences suggest a way that the early care environment has dramatic and lasting effects for children's functioning," said lead author Katie McLaughlin, a UW assistant professor of psychology.
Since 2000, the Bucharest Early Intervention Project has worked to document and treat the children's health. McLaughlin joined the team about six years ago to focus on brain development. This study is among the first in any setting to document how social deprivation in early life affects the thickness of the cortex, the thin folded layer of gray matter that forms the outer layer of the brain. The study provides "very strong support" for a link between the early environment and ADHD, McLaughlin said.
Just walk down any street in Chicago.......
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
While human contact is very important in child development there might also be a least a couple or other contributing factors. Here are a few of possibilities;
1. Lack of proper nutrition. If the body is spending all it's food surviving there is little left to grow. It is well known thet the brain takes a lot of nutrition to grow.
2. Lack of exercise. If you don't use the motor parts of the brain they may not grow.
3. Lack of stimulating toys.
4. Lack of stimulating play.
There may be more or it may be all of the above. The study does not isolate any of these factors so there is no way to know which one is important. This looks like yet another study to prove a theory rather than test the theory.
And I believe correlation will be found with the lack of child rearing and the forcing of both parents working on the populace. Began with Reagan as I recall, and most certainly coincides with the continuos concentration of wealth in the upper class in this country.
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
If you leave a child in a room, with all the nutrition and proper shelter that they will ever need, by themselves, they will grow up to be mentally retarded. This article brings nothing new to the table. It is common knowledge that without human contact they will have hindered learning abilities, such as language and social development, such as the Feral kid who grew up with wolves and ran around on all four legs and couldn't learn to speak properly.
What we need are scientist who focus on positive outcomes, rather than the negative. What are the effects of creating interest for a child in lets say math, science, music, etc at a very early age? You may get a child prodigy, interest should be one of the highest priorities in school. Interest and potentiality are what create great minds, children have the highest potential versus a man who is in his 30's or even 20's, but first interest must be created before the potentiality can leap to higher levels. A child who has no interest in learning has no potential, but one who does can become the next Einstein.
There are always going to be neglected children, an article on neglected children isn't going to help neglected children or bad parents. Children spend more time at school then they do at home (in terms of interaction and creating self identity). Schooling is where, if anything, disorders such as ADHD arise. The primary education system needs improvement, not parents, because nothing can actually be done about parenting, there will ALWAYS be bad parents, but there could always be GOOD TEACHERS who could improve their lives.
What OP posted pretty much sums up what a bad scientist is, wasting time and resources on something that has little effect on helping the world
Decades ago there was an experiment with monkeys deprived of maternal support to varying degrees. Some not allowed to touch or see the mother. Autopsies showed that the deprived monkeys had massive (and obvious to any observer) brain deficiencies. These monkeys were never able to adjust to social settings with others of their kind. Their behavior was obviously abnormal. My impression was that every moment of their life was stressful for them. Sorry I can't recall the source of the video I saw.
This result would be the same for dogs, cats and humans. I can't comprehend why it would be news in the year 2014.
...omphaloskepsis often...