\u201cA parent is an extension of a child\u2019s developing neurobiology \u2013 like an interpersonal scaffolding that affords a long childhood.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThis understanding of children\u2019s neural development springs from observing how the brain functions. My colleagues and I have looked at a key communication inside a particular part of the brain — between the subcortical brain regions and the medial prefrontal cortex. These areas support and link emotional learning with subsequent emotional behaviors.<\/p>\n
Subcortical brain regions learn at a deep level about positive and negative events, and they create emotional memories. Meanwhile, the medial prefrontal cortex is involved in managing behaviors, as well as in planning and decision making. These two areas are connected and therefore, communicate with each other. The patterns individuals establish in making meaning seem to influence how they interpret what happens and how they make decisions.<\/p>\n
We have observed how these regions of the brain are influenced by early experiences. We can also see how they are then used in later life. This helps us understand how childhood experiences may play out and influence subsequent adult behaviors.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Forming the neurobiology of the childhood brain<\/span><\/h2>\nWhat happens in the early building of these brain regions? They develop rapidly during early childhood so they are very vulnerable to environmental influences, whether nurturing or maltreating. These areas of the brain learn about security and threat, create emotional memories, and are involved in managing behavior and decision making. Intriguingly, we have also found that these areas are very sensitive to parents and to the messages or cues parents send to children.<\/p>\n
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Photo: NeONBRAND. Unsplash. <\/em><\/p><\/div>\nWhy does it serve human welfare to be so heavily influenced by these early experiences? Because, as a species, humans have evolved to learn from our early environments so we are ready for what we encounter once we reach maturity. The human brain develops very slowly compared with other species \u2013 it\u2019s on a \u201cslow cook\u201d setting. This is a great adaptation that gives us a lot of time to learn from our environments.<\/p>\n
Some have said that childhood is a dress rehearsal for the performance of adulthood. The longer the dress rehearsal, the longer we get to stay immature, and the more efficient and powerful the adult brain becomes to help us tackle the drama on life\u2019s stage.<\/p>\n
A child\u2019s brain is primed to learn from its closest environment, especially early in life. That makes family and parents a big influence on emotional development. Human children spend a very long time with their parents, compared with other species. This time affords them a lengthy period of brain plasticity — the first two decades of life — during which they can do the massive amount of learning required for the sophisticated set of behaviors human adults need.<\/p>\n
<\/span>The role of parents\u2019 neurobiology<\/span><\/h2>\nAlthough parents are not the sole source of input, they provide the bulk of that learning. Part of that learning, especially early in life, springs from the way parents regulate their children\u2019s stress biology (consciously or not). The neurobiology involved in social and emotional behavior is enriched with stress hormone receptors that prompt the body to respond biologically to what is happening. However, the mere physical presence of a parent can reduce the release of these stress hormones in a child.<\/p>\n
Mom or dad can also decrease the firing of a child\u2019s amygdala, one of the brain\u2019s subcortical structures that is involved in learning about fear. A parent is an extension of a child\u2019s developing neurobiology \u2013like an interpersonal scaffolding that affords a long childhood. However, this scaffolding can also create a perilous situation when it is difficult for a caregiving environment to be an effective buffer of threat or may even be a source of threat, rather than security, to the child.<\/p>\n
\u201c(We must) ensure that parents are supported and buffered. It means that, if we care about children, then we as a society should care a lot for their parents.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe power of parents as buffers has been demonstrated in studies with rodents. In an experiment that associated a meaningless stimulus \u2013 such as peppermint odor \u2013 with a mild shock to the foot, young rats learned to dislike the odor (as you and I would) and their amygdala responded to that learning. However, when the rat\u2019s parent was present, the developing rodent, despite smelling the scent and experiencing the shock, did not avoid the smell. Functionally, the presence of the parent blocked the young rodent\u2019s amygdala from reacting. Indeed, the rodent actually showed a preference for the odor. This sounds bizarre, but we have duplicated these findings in experiments with preschool-age children.<\/p>\n
These reactions occur because early in life, humans are primed, as dependents on their parents, to form preferences for things associated with them \u2013 regardless of how pleasant or unpleasant the stimulus. For example, my father smoked cigars. I know the smell is unpleasant. However, that odor was learned in the context of my attachment to my father, so \u00a0I remain drawn to this stimulus. Most people can probably think of things associated with the home (\u201cthe nest\u201d) to which they are attracted, regardless of whether they are pleasant or unpleasant. This response is part of a young animal\u2019s survival strategy.<\/p>\n
Usually this system works well — it keeps us close to our parents, the nest, and the developmental benefits mom and dad bring. However, this system may also explain why, even in the context of harsh early environments, children still form attachments to their parents and things associated with them. This understanding helps explain why children often resist being separated from a parent even where there is maltreatment. It highlights the difficult and complex issues involved in separating any child from his or her parent.<\/p>\n