Mother Care During Preschool Affects Child's Brain Development

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Medical Video: Discover Brigham Newborn Brain Development Research Video - Brigham and Women's Hospital

Recently, research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that children who were under mother's care during the pre-school period had a larger volume growth of the hippocampus (one part of the cerebrum) when the child entered school until he grew up. Conversely, children who are not or under the care of their mothers when they are not in school have less brain volume growth, even after the child enters school the child is under the care of the mother.

What is the hippocampus?

The hippocampus is one part of the cerebrum located in the temporal lobe. The hippocampus is usually associated with a combination of memories, ranging from short-term memory to long-term memory. In addition, the hippocampus is also often associated with parts of the brain that regulate stress and the ability to control 3-dimensional spaces. In other words, the better the development of the hippocampus, the person is considered to be "smarter".

Although it is often said that the average size of the hippocampus varies between men and women, recent research shows that it is wrong. However, indeed everyone has a different volume of the hippocampus. The researchers are conducting a study to observe how mothering during preschool age can affect a child's brain growth.

How was this research conducted?

The researchers conducted a study of 127 children who they noticed their brain growth began when they were children to adulthood. The children who participated in this study underwent 3 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. MRI scan is a technology that functions to measure the dimensions and flow of blood in the structure of the brain. The levels of maternal care during childhood were also measured in this study.

1. Tests carried out during preschool

Tests to determine the level of maternal care during preschool are carried out by giving gifts. The child will be given a gift that really makes him curious, but the child may not open it until 8 minutes, calculated after the child is given the gift package. Within 8 minutes, the researcher will observe how the mother treats the child. If the mother manages to keep the child happy and not stressed while waiting to open the gift, the researcher will give a higher value.

This test represents how the mother treats her child in daily activities, for example when the mother is busy busy cooking but the child whines for attention, or when the child needs something but the mother has other work to do. This is the challenge for parents to care for their children.

2. Tests carried out when children start school

Tests to determine the level of parenting when children start school are done by playing puzzles. Mother and child are challenged to solve the puzzle together. The mother can only give each piece of puzzle, and help the child to combine the pieces of the puzzle together. The more successful and supportive both the mother and the child, the higher the value given by the researcher.

The results of the study: mother's care affects brain growth

From the results of the MRI scan, the researchers found that children under mother's care during the pre-school period had better hippocampal volume growth. In contrast to children who are less or not under their mother's care during the pre-school period, these children have smaller hippocampus sizes as adults, even though the child is under the care of his mother when he has entered elementary or middle school. Even the results of the study show that the size of the hippocampus can be twice as large when compared to children under the care of their mother and who are not under the care of their mother.

Why is the upbringing of mothers at an early age so great?

The results of this study indicate that there are sensitive times in which a child's brain responds to mother's care. The relationship between mother and child during the period before school is very important, even more important than when the child begins to grow up. The researchers put forward the theory that this happens because during childhood, the brain is more elastic, which means brain development is more influenced by the events experienced by humans in childhood. This theory supports research that it is very important for children to accept their mother's care in their childhood.

The researchers also found that the growth of movement in the hippocampus was related to the health of emotional functioning when the child entered adolescence. The researchers also believe that this discovery can help children get good results during school, adapt well to various life challenges, and develop emotionally by learning from their parents that if they have children, they will also take care of their children like how their parents care for them.

Does this have something to do with IQ?

The larger size of the hippocampus is not associated with higher IQ scores. However, this is more related to emotional development.

Does this also apply to fathering children?

This study focuses more on the relationship between mother and child. Until now there have been no studies that can prove that parenting also produces the same results for the growth of a child's brain.

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Mother Care During Preschool Affects Child's Brain Development
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