Stress causes slow brain development in children
Children who were more stressed and experienced prolonged stressful situations in their lives scored lower on tests of spatial working memory.
According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA), stress can affect brain development in young children, changing the development of a specific area of the brain and the abilities related to this area.
“Previous animal studies have linked severe, prolonged stress to changes in a brain region called the prefrontal cortex,” said Jamie Hanson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Now scientists have found similar links in humans, and found that more stress is associated with cognitive problems.”
Children who are more stressed and have experienced prolonged stressful situations in their lives score lower on tests of spatial working memory, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience. They have more difficulty performing short-term memory tests such as finding a sign in a series of boxes.
Brain scans showed that the anterior cingulate, a region in the prefrontal cortex thought to play a key role in spatial working memory, took up less space in children exposed to more severe stressful situations.
These differences, though small, are linked to important cognitive abilities, says Hanson.
Researchers determined stress levels through interviews with children aged 9-14 and their parents./.
According to VNA - NT
