Love is Good for Children’s Brain

Washington University St Louis

30^th January 2012

It’s become a fact that love increases baby’s brain development in the hippocampus for the important concepts of learning, memory and responsiveness to stress.

Child psychiatrist and neuroscientist at the Washington University in St. Louis, have clearly demonstrated the link between nurturing parent/s and critical brain development of the child.

Their study goes beyond what was considered intuitive parenting to the “importance of nurturing parents who are creating adaptive human beings”.  A skill that becomes most important in later years of life.

Researchers conducted a number of brain imaging processes of child subjects which included children with and without known psychiatric disorders. The imaging captured the growth of the hippocampus resulting from the nurturing provided by the parent during stressful circumstances. Records reveal an increase of almost 10% larger hippocampus of a nurtured child compared to that of a child that was not so nurtured.

Leading author JL Luby states this “provides concrete evidence of nurturing’s powerful effect ”. She went further by saying that “Nurturing made such a big difference in mentally healthy children”

Given the importance to the growth and ability of the child’s hippocampus, Luby raises a valid point for mothers & fathers by stating  “Parents should be taught how to nurture and support their children” as [they] “are very important elements in healthy development” of a child.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.

Penny says “This gives me an incredibly wonderful idea!  Wouldn’t it be scathingly brilliant if we . . . . I just have to check on a couple of things & I’ll get back to you with my idea. Speak to all soon.”