|
Written by A Time Life Documentary
|
|
Tuesday, 07 October 2008 13:26 |
|
Page 2 of 2
James W. Prescott's experiments are less widely recognized. While the breakthrough studies by Drs. Mason and Berkson interpreted the importance of infant body movement in a social context, developmental neuropsychologist Dr. Prescott examined the neurobiological mechanisms involved 1.
Dr. Prescott then launched a series of brain-behavioral studies with various colleagues on the effects of loss of mother love on the structural and functional development of the brain. These studies documented both structural abnormalities of brain cells and functional abnormalities 2.
Studies by Dr. Selma Fraiberg on congenitally blind children demonstrated that when these blind children received sufficient body contact and movement stimulation from their parents they develop normal emotional-social behaviors. These effects are dramatically portrayed in "Rock A Bye Baby", as are the studies of Dr. Mary Neal who constructed a swinging bassinet for premature babies. The premature babies that were given this artificial body movement stimulation showed accelerated neuromaturation, as reflected in head movements, crawling, grasping and other reflexes. These infants gained weight faster, had less health problems and were discharged earlier from the hospital than non-moved prematures.
In spite of the evident positive effects of auto-moving incubators on the health of premature babies as shown by Dr. Neal, such incubators are not in use in American hospitals. The necessity of movement is mostly overlooked in modern infant care and the newborns are placed on still mattresses.
"Rock A Bye Baby" also documents how a retarded institutionalized infant of six months of age can have that retardation reversed when provided a loving substitute mother in an intense "one-to-one" relationship. The longer the deprivation and the later a loving mother substitute is provided for such infants, the less recovery from the damage is possible.
The following report from BBC News of an article published in JAMA has discovered that the cerebellum is involved in ADHD disorders but the authors do not understand why. From the article...
The most striking size difference was found in an area
known as the cerebellum, which was on average 6%
smaller in ADHD children.
The cerebellum is known to be involved in motor coordination, but recent studies suggest it may also play a role in controlling the speed at which the brain works.
Dr Castellanos said: "We still don't understand the essential role of the cerebellum, but this region is clearly affected in children with ADHD, and this area may be useful in providing timing information, that is, coordinating signals going from one region of the brain to another."
Professor Julio Licinio, the editor of the journal Molecular Psychiatry, told BBC News Online: "I think this is very significant."
Why has it taken over 30 years for the recognition of this fact and that the primary etiology is in failed Basic Bonding {Vestibular (Movement) Deprivation} in the mother-infant/child relationship which insight is lost on the modern neuroscience community? The lessons of Rock a Bye Baby and the NICHD supported research that documented impaired cerebellar structure and functioning in mother deprived violent monkeys who were hyperactive/ hyper-reactive and tactile avoidant as infants, juveniles and adults has yet to be learned., as well as the supporting cross-cultural studies on these behaviors.
Sensory stimulation is essential for normal growth, development and functioning of the brain and tactile avoidance further impairs the normal development of psychosexual behaviors.
The futures of every generation of children are being compromised and damaged by this fateful neglect and indifference to this scientific body of data and its implications for the transformation of human cultures that are necessary for the development of peaceful, happy and harmonious children and cultures.
To read the article in BBC click here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2307187.stm
To read the abstract in JAMA, click here: http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v288n14/abs/joc20194.html
Nov Dec 2002
|
Wellness Articles 
