Premium
Early experience and brain development
Author(s) -
Bick Johanna,
Nelson Charles A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.526
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1939-5086
pISSN - 1939-5078
DOI - 10.1002/wcs.1387
Subject(s) - brain development , neglect , psychology , intervention (counseling) , context (archaeology) , psychological intervention , developmental psychology , cognition , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , psychiatry , paleontology , biology
Healthy brain development takes place within the context of individual experience. Here, we describe how certain early experiences are necessary for typical brain development. We present evidence from multiple studies showing that severe early life neglect leads to alterations in brain development, which compromises emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning. We also show how early intervention can reverse some of the deleterious effects of neglect on brain development. We conclude by emphasizing that early interventions that start at the earliest possible point in human development are most likely to support maximal recovery from early adverse experiences. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1387. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1387 This article is categorized under: Psychology > Development and Aging