Motherly love helps children's brains grow bigger
Motherly love can help children's brains grow at twice the rate as neglected youngsters, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition has shown. The research, which followed 127 children from when they were just about to start school, to early adolescence involved scanning the participating children’s brains to measure the growth of the hippocampus which is associated with learning, memories and regulating emotions. It’s a well-known fact that a stable and loving home life improves overall childhood emotional development but this is the first research that proves the impact on child brain size.
The researchers examined the nurturing levels of the participating mothers by closely observing and scoring videotaped interactions between mothers and their children. In the scenario, mothers were asked to complete a task while also preventing their child from opening a present which was prominently positioned in the room. This scenario was designed to reflect an everyday situation such as when a child wants attention but a mother is busy. Mothers who were able to maintain their composure and complete assigned tasks while still offering emotional support to their children are rated as more nurturing and supportive.
When researchers examined the brain scans of the participating children, they found that children whose mothers were more supportive than average had increases in growth of the hippocampus that were more than two times greater than in those whose mothers were slightly below average on the nurturing scale. They also found that the growth trajectory in the hippocampus was associated with healthier emotional functioning when the children entered their teen years.
Head researchers Dr Joan Luby said that the study has visibly shown the relationship between a nurturing parental relationship and the young brain. “Early maternal support affects the child’s brain development,” said Dr Luby. “We also know that providing support to parents can have a positive impact on other behavioural and adaptive outcomes in children. So we have a very logical reason to encourage policies that help parents become more supportive.”
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