Mother’s love triggers bigger brain growth
January 31st, 2012 - 4:29 pm ICT by IANSWashington, Jan 31 (IANS) School children whose mothers nurtured them lovingly have a larger hippocampus, a key brain area vital for learning, memory and response to stress.
Research by the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing.
“This study validates something that seems to be intuitive, which is just how important nurturing parents are to creating adaptive human beings,” says study co-author Joan L. Luby, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition reports.
For the current study, researchers conducted brain scans on 92 school children who had had symptoms of depression or were mentally healthy when they were preschoolers, according to a Washington School of Medicine statement.
The imaging revealed that children without depression who had been lovingly nurtured had a hippocampus almost 10 percent larger that children whose mothers were not as nurturing.
“But most of those studies have looked at psychosocial factors or school performance. This study, to my knowledge, is the first that actually shows an anatomical change in the brain. Having a hippocampus that’s almost 10 percent larger just provides concrete evidence of nurturing’s powerful effect,” Luby concluded.
- Tiny tots showing symptoms of depression - Jun 03, 2011
- Early detection of depression in preschool children important - May 20, 2010
- Preschool depression may persist in childhood - Aug 04, 2009
- Male foetuses more vulnerable to alcohol - Mar 24, 2011
- Brain scans to detect Alzheimer's decades ahead - Jul 12, 2012
- How Prozac alters brain plasticity - Mar 16, 2011
- Young children vulnerable to effects of 9/11: Study - Jul 15, 2010
- Scientists shed light on cellular basis of depression - Feb 24, 2011
- Memory training can overcome forgetfulness - Mar 02, 2012
- Brain wiring gave humans edge over chimps - Aug 23, 2012
- Molecular evidence sheds light on women's depression - Sep 18, 2011
- Nicotine exposure in pregnancy 'puts offspring at learning disabilities risk' - Dec 04, 2010
- Kids' temper tantrums could signal mental illness - Aug 31, 2012
- Parents can halve kids' anxiety, depression - Aug 01, 2011
- Separation at birth triggers genomic changes in kids - Dec 06, 2011
Tags: brain anatomy, brain area, brain growth, co author, concrete evidence, critical region, early edition, journal proceedings, luby, medicine statement, national academy of sciences, proceedings of the national academy, proceedings of the national academy of sciences, psychosocial factors, school of medicine, school performance, study researchers, symptoms of depression, washington university school of medicine, washington university school of medicine st louis