I found this cool website and thought you'd be interested in it.
3D Brain images
http://www.g2conline.org/2022
Showing posts with label Brain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brain. Show all posts
Sep 20, 2011
Jan 9, 2011
Can Empathy be taught?
Empathy is an essential ingredient for good parenting, good treatment, and good psychotherapy. Empathy allows one to see the world through the eyes of the other, walk in that person's shoes, share emotions, and build common experiences. Intersubjectivity, share emotions, share attention, and complimentary intentions form a core of empathy. It is these shared experiences (when concordant) that can help form the bedrock of stable, secure, safe, and positive relationships.
Many people are aware of "mirror neurons" as a neurological component of empathy. Mirror neurons are activated when one observes another's actions and the same motor neurons in the observers brain are activated as the ones in the "doers" brain that are necessary to carry out the action. Mirror neurons are activated in the emotional centers of the brain when we observe another and share affect.
While all this interesting and informative, it is not prescriptive. The question is, "is there some way to teach or enhance empathy?" Well, it turns out there are a number of ways. One of the easiest, simplest, and best ways is simply to listen and listen carefully. This is one way to get into another's head, so to speak.
Traditional views of the communication process held that speech and listening happened in two different parts of the brain: Broca's area and Wernicke's area. Yet studies show that communication partners unconsciously change their grammar structure, their speaking rate, and even their body postures to that of their partner. One could say that their communication changes show empathy for each other; some call this establishing a common ground. Studies by Dr. Hasson at Princeton University and graduate student Lauren Silbert demonstate this. The study involved having Ms. Silbert talk about emotionally meaningful events, tell stories from her life, while in a functional MRI. Then subjects were put into the f-MRI and listened to the recorded stories.
The most attentive listeners' key brain regions "lit up" in a f-MRI before her words came out. This suggests that the subjects anticipated what Ms. Silbert was going to say; empathy.
So helping parents, professionals, and therapists listen more carefully, more fully, and more deeply will increase their empathic capabilities. Listening is a skill that can be taught, improved on, and mastered.
For more information see:
Center For Family Development
Useful books & DVD's are:
Attachment Parenting
Principles of Attachment Parenting
Creating Capacity for Attachment
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy: Essential Practices & Methods
Introduction to Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
Many people are aware of "mirror neurons" as a neurological component of empathy. Mirror neurons are activated when one observes another's actions and the same motor neurons in the observers brain are activated as the ones in the "doers" brain that are necessary to carry out the action. Mirror neurons are activated in the emotional centers of the brain when we observe another and share affect.
While all this interesting and informative, it is not prescriptive. The question is, "is there some way to teach or enhance empathy?" Well, it turns out there are a number of ways. One of the easiest, simplest, and best ways is simply to listen and listen carefully. This is one way to get into another's head, so to speak.
Traditional views of the communication process held that speech and listening happened in two different parts of the brain: Broca's area and Wernicke's area. Yet studies show that communication partners unconsciously change their grammar structure, their speaking rate, and even their body postures to that of their partner. One could say that their communication changes show empathy for each other; some call this establishing a common ground. Studies by Dr. Hasson at Princeton University and graduate student Lauren Silbert demonstate this. The study involved having Ms. Silbert talk about emotionally meaningful events, tell stories from her life, while in a functional MRI. Then subjects were put into the f-MRI and listened to the recorded stories.
The most attentive listeners' key brain regions "lit up" in a f-MRI before her words came out. This suggests that the subjects anticipated what Ms. Silbert was going to say; empathy.
So helping parents, professionals, and therapists listen more carefully, more fully, and more deeply will increase their empathic capabilities. Listening is a skill that can be taught, improved on, and mastered.
For more information see:
Center For Family Development
Useful books & DVD's are:
Attachment Parenting
Principles of Attachment Parenting
Creating Capacity for Attachment
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy: Essential Practices & Methods
Introduction to Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
May 2, 2010
Adoption: What disclosures are requuired?
The lawsuit described in a recent New York Times article by Pam Belluck raised important questions regarding the disclosures that should be made by adoption agencies to their adoptive families.
At the Center for Family Development we frequently find that families have not been fully or adequately informed regarding the mental health, health, and psychological status of the child they are wanting to adopt. In many instances the agency has not informed the family of the potential risks and issues that may be presented. We find that this lack is more common in international adoptions, and particularly in those programs that bring a child to the US for a few weeks for "camp," with a family, and more often with adoptions from Russian and Eastern Europe. We do find that agencies doing domestic adoptions of children in the child welfare system seem to do a more comprehensive job of fully informing parents of actual and potential issues.
By Pam Belluck
New York Times
Apr 28, 2010
Scores of complaints have been made in recent years against adoption agencies by people claiming they were inadequately informed or ill-prepared for problems their children turned out to have.
Many state laws and the Hague Convention now require agencies to disclose “reasonably available” records. But it can be unclear, especially in international cases, how assertive they are expected to be in getting such information.
The case of Chip and Julie Harshaw of Virginia Beach is, in some ways, the reverse of the now-familiar story of a Tennessee mother who put her Russian-born child on a plane home: The Harshaws are committed to raising their Russian son, even though they say they would not have adopted him had they known how severely impaired he was. But when they decided to adopt, the Harshaws told their agency they could care only for a child with minimal health problems and “a good prognosis for normal development,” according to notes in the adoption agency’s paperwork.
They rejected one child because he had abuse-inflicted burns. But when a toddler in a Siberian orphanage appeared to fit their criteria, they brought the boy, Roman, home. ” ‘A beautiful, healthy, on-target, blond-haired boy’ was what they had quoted to us,” Julie Harshaw said.
After the adoption in 2004, Roman began showing “uncontrollable hyperactivity” and aggression, Julie Harshaw said. He has threatened their 5-year-old biological daughter with a steak knife and a two-by-four, and held her underwater in a pool. Their 13-year-old biological son has felt so much stress that he has required therapy.
Therapeutic programs have ejected Roman for kicking, biting, hitting and, most recently, on his 8th birthday, pulling out three of his teeth using a pen cap, fork or spoon.
Doctors finally diagnosed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, brain damage and neuropsychiatric problems in Roman, whose IQ is 53. He was recently placed in an institution and is not expected to ever live independently, one of his doctors said.
The Harshaws are suing the agency, Bethany Christian Services, seeking compensation for the care Roman will need.
After Roman’s problems were diagnosed, the agency offered to end the adoption, to try placing Roman with another family. The Harshaws refused. “He’s not a dog; you don’t take him to a pound,” Julie Harshaw said.
The family claims that Bethany indicated, inaccurately, that a Russian doctor working for the agency had examined Roman, and that Bethany gave them incomplete medical information when more detailed records were available. (Such records were produced by Bethany more than two years later.)
Bethany, which calls itself “the nation’s largest adoption agency,” disputes most of the claims.
“Bethany is a highly respected adoption agency that provided all the appropriate information for consideration by the Harshaws,” said Mark Zausmer, a lawyer for Bethany, based in Michigan. “Bethany provided this family counseling, extensive documentation, opportunities to consult with physicians, medical records and other materials from which they could fully evaluate how to proceed.”
No organization tracks the number of cases against adoption agencies, and academics and industry officials say many are settled out of court and sealed, so the outcomes are unknown.
But these days, “a far greater percentage of these wrongful adoption suits relate to international adoptions,” said Marianne Blair, a University of Tulsa law professor.
Chuck Johnson, acting chief executive of the National Council for Adoption, an advocacy group, said, “There have been a growing number of families that have sued when they adopted a child from another country.”
Some lawsuits, Johnson said, come from families “expecting you to do the impossible when you did all you could,” but he said there had also been “agencies that have purposely concealed information.”
Issues of disclosure have drawn increasing attention in recent years. Lawsuits erupted in the 1980s over domestic adoptions in which histories of abuse and other problems were kept from adoptive parents.
“The philosophy was the blank slate, that adoption is a new start,” Blair said. Now, she said, experts believe that “disclosure of health information is vital.”
As a result, many states enacted disclosure laws, followed by similar requirements in the Hague Convention, which apply to countries that ratify the treaty, as the United States did in 2008. Russia has signed the agreement but has not yet ratified it.
Those regulations were developing as the Harshaws’ adoption was proceeding, and at most agencies, “the atmosphere was definitely an emphasis in getting what could be obtained and making sure that they disclose that,” said Joan H. Hollinger, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who is serving as an expert witness for the Harshaws. Agencies were also focused on “preparation of adoptive families for what they might encounter,” Hollinger said.
Bethany says it clearly advised the family that children from Russia could have problems, including serious ones, and that records might be inaccurate.
While the Harshaws’ pediatrician raised overall risks after reviewing a video of Roman and a two-page medical summary, observing that some of the notations could indicate learning disabilities, she saw no specific indications of severe problems on the pre-adoption records provided. She noted a lack of detailed, up-to-date information and said she could not see Roman’s face clearly. (Facial characteristics may provide clues to health deficiencies.)
“They were warned about generalities,” said their lawyer, Samuel C. Totaro Jr., but the agency caseworker told them a Russian-trained doctor based in New York had “gone over there and seen him, and you have a healthy, on-target child, and the family took great reassurance from that.”
In a deposition, the caseworker acknowledged she had said that the doctor, Michael Dubrovsky, visited the orphanages to “see the children” and review pictures, videos and medical information. The agency says the Harshaws misinterpreted that to mean Dubrovsky had examined Roman.
In a deposition, Dubrovsky said he had never seen Roman, had not practiced medicine for years and was a facilitator for Bethany, not a medical screener.
The agency also suggests that the fetal alcohol syndrome was unlikely to have been detected before the adoption, noting that the Harshaws did not receive that diagnosis until two years later.
Zausmer said the agency did not conceal information and provided a translated synopsis of the Russian medical records that was standard at the time.
“We don’t believe that there was anything in the Russian records that would have materially affected any adoption decision,” Zausmer said.
But Dr. Ronald S. Federici, a neuropsychologist who diagnosed Roman’s illness, said the full 10-page medical record the agency produced after the adoption, at the parents’ urging, would have shown that “the boy had fetal alcohol syndrome.”
The Harshaws hope the institution can stabilize Roman enough to send him home; either way, he will need extensive lifetime care.
“What we’ve been through and what we’ve lost,” Chip Harshaw said. “Every day is ‘Groundhog Day,’ a repeat of the stress and anger and frustration.”
At the Center for Family Development we frequently find that families have not been fully or adequately informed regarding the mental health, health, and psychological status of the child they are wanting to adopt. In many instances the agency has not informed the family of the potential risks and issues that may be presented. We find that this lack is more common in international adoptions, and particularly in those programs that bring a child to the US for a few weeks for "camp," with a family, and more often with adoptions from Russian and Eastern Europe. We do find that agencies doing domestic adoptions of children in the child welfare system seem to do a more comprehensive job of fully informing parents of actual and potential issues.
By Pam Belluck
New York Times
Apr 28, 2010
Scores of complaints have been made in recent years against adoption agencies by people claiming they were inadequately informed or ill-prepared for problems their children turned out to have.
Many state laws and the Hague Convention now require agencies to disclose “reasonably available” records. But it can be unclear, especially in international cases, how assertive they are expected to be in getting such information.
The case of Chip and Julie Harshaw of Virginia Beach is, in some ways, the reverse of the now-familiar story of a Tennessee mother who put her Russian-born child on a plane home: The Harshaws are committed to raising their Russian son, even though they say they would not have adopted him had they known how severely impaired he was. But when they decided to adopt, the Harshaws told their agency they could care only for a child with minimal health problems and “a good prognosis for normal development,” according to notes in the adoption agency’s paperwork.
They rejected one child because he had abuse-inflicted burns. But when a toddler in a Siberian orphanage appeared to fit their criteria, they brought the boy, Roman, home. ” ‘A beautiful, healthy, on-target, blond-haired boy’ was what they had quoted to us,” Julie Harshaw said.
After the adoption in 2004, Roman began showing “uncontrollable hyperactivity” and aggression, Julie Harshaw said. He has threatened their 5-year-old biological daughter with a steak knife and a two-by-four, and held her underwater in a pool. Their 13-year-old biological son has felt so much stress that he has required therapy.
Therapeutic programs have ejected Roman for kicking, biting, hitting and, most recently, on his 8th birthday, pulling out three of his teeth using a pen cap, fork or spoon.
Doctors finally diagnosed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, brain damage and neuropsychiatric problems in Roman, whose IQ is 53. He was recently placed in an institution and is not expected to ever live independently, one of his doctors said.
The Harshaws are suing the agency, Bethany Christian Services, seeking compensation for the care Roman will need.
After Roman’s problems were diagnosed, the agency offered to end the adoption, to try placing Roman with another family. The Harshaws refused. “He’s not a dog; you don’t take him to a pound,” Julie Harshaw said.
The family claims that Bethany indicated, inaccurately, that a Russian doctor working for the agency had examined Roman, and that Bethany gave them incomplete medical information when more detailed records were available. (Such records were produced by Bethany more than two years later.)
Bethany, which calls itself “the nation’s largest adoption agency,” disputes most of the claims.
“Bethany is a highly respected adoption agency that provided all the appropriate information for consideration by the Harshaws,” said Mark Zausmer, a lawyer for Bethany, based in Michigan. “Bethany provided this family counseling, extensive documentation, opportunities to consult with physicians, medical records and other materials from which they could fully evaluate how to proceed.”
No organization tracks the number of cases against adoption agencies, and academics and industry officials say many are settled out of court and sealed, so the outcomes are unknown.
But these days, “a far greater percentage of these wrongful adoption suits relate to international adoptions,” said Marianne Blair, a University of Tulsa law professor.
Chuck Johnson, acting chief executive of the National Council for Adoption, an advocacy group, said, “There have been a growing number of families that have sued when they adopted a child from another country.”
Some lawsuits, Johnson said, come from families “expecting you to do the impossible when you did all you could,” but he said there had also been “agencies that have purposely concealed information.”
Issues of disclosure have drawn increasing attention in recent years. Lawsuits erupted in the 1980s over domestic adoptions in which histories of abuse and other problems were kept from adoptive parents.
“The philosophy was the blank slate, that adoption is a new start,” Blair said. Now, she said, experts believe that “disclosure of health information is vital.”
As a result, many states enacted disclosure laws, followed by similar requirements in the Hague Convention, which apply to countries that ratify the treaty, as the United States did in 2008. Russia has signed the agreement but has not yet ratified it.
Those regulations were developing as the Harshaws’ adoption was proceeding, and at most agencies, “the atmosphere was definitely an emphasis in getting what could be obtained and making sure that they disclose that,” said Joan H. Hollinger, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who is serving as an expert witness for the Harshaws. Agencies were also focused on “preparation of adoptive families for what they might encounter,” Hollinger said.
Bethany says it clearly advised the family that children from Russia could have problems, including serious ones, and that records might be inaccurate.
While the Harshaws’ pediatrician raised overall risks after reviewing a video of Roman and a two-page medical summary, observing that some of the notations could indicate learning disabilities, she saw no specific indications of severe problems on the pre-adoption records provided. She noted a lack of detailed, up-to-date information and said she could not see Roman’s face clearly. (Facial characteristics may provide clues to health deficiencies.)
“They were warned about generalities,” said their lawyer, Samuel C. Totaro Jr., but the agency caseworker told them a Russian-trained doctor based in New York had “gone over there and seen him, and you have a healthy, on-target child, and the family took great reassurance from that.”
In a deposition, the caseworker acknowledged she had said that the doctor, Michael Dubrovsky, visited the orphanages to “see the children” and review pictures, videos and medical information. The agency says the Harshaws misinterpreted that to mean Dubrovsky had examined Roman.
In a deposition, Dubrovsky said he had never seen Roman, had not practiced medicine for years and was a facilitator for Bethany, not a medical screener.
The agency also suggests that the fetal alcohol syndrome was unlikely to have been detected before the adoption, noting that the Harshaws did not receive that diagnosis until two years later.
Zausmer said the agency did not conceal information and provided a translated synopsis of the Russian medical records that was standard at the time.
“We don’t believe that there was anything in the Russian records that would have materially affected any adoption decision,” Zausmer said.
But Dr. Ronald S. Federici, a neuropsychologist who diagnosed Roman’s illness, said the full 10-page medical record the agency produced after the adoption, at the parents’ urging, would have shown that “the boy had fetal alcohol syndrome.”
The Harshaws hope the institution can stabilize Roman enough to send him home; either way, he will need extensive lifetime care.
“What we’ve been through and what we’ve lost,” Chip Harshaw said. “Every day is ‘Groundhog Day,’ a repeat of the stress and anger and frustration.”
Apr 23, 2010
Anticonvulsant medications and potential risks
Certain anticonvulsant drugs could be associated with an increased risk of suicide, attempted suicide or violent death. Anticonvulsants are used to help people with epilepsy but can also be prescribed for bipolar disorder, mania, neuralgia, migraine and neuropathic pain. Researchers from Harvard Medical School analyzed data from 14 states about patients fifteen-years old and over who started taking anticonvulsants between July 2001 and December 2006. They found that the risk of suicidal acts was increased for gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), oxcarbazapine (Trileptal), tiagabine (Gabitril) and valproate (Depakote).
You can find out more about this research at
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/04/15/broadly-used-seizure-meds-may-increase-suicide-risk/12858.html
You can find out more about this research at
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/04/15/broadly-used-seizure-meds-may-increase-suicide-risk/12858.html
Dec 20, 2009
ADHD among Internationally Adopted Children: Empirical Study
There is a very interesting and informative study in the most recent issue of the European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry titled, ADHD in international adoptees: a national cohort study The abstract is summarized below:
Several investigators have reported an increased frequency of attention/hyperactivity symptoms in internationally adopted children. In this national cohort study, the authors aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD medication in international adoptees in Sweden, in comparison to the general population. A further purpose was to study gender, age at adoption and region of origin as predictors of ADHD medication in international adoptees. The study population consisted of all Swedish residents born in 1985–2000 with Swedish-born parents, divided into 16,134 adoptees, and a comparison population of 1,326,090. ADHD medications were identified in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register during 2006. Logistic regression was used to calculate the "odds ratios".
The rates of ADHD medication were higher in international adoptees than in the comparison population for both boys (5.3 vs. 1.5% for 10–15-year olds) and girls (2.1 vs. 0.3% for 10–15-year olds). International adoptees from all regions of birth more often consumed ADHD medication compared with the majority population, but the age and sex adjusted odds ratios were particularly high for adoptees from Eastern Europe, Middle East/Africa and Latin America. Adjusting for maternal education and single parenthood increased the odds ratios even further. The risk also increased with higher age at adoption. Adoptees from Eastern Europe have a very high risk for ADHD medication. A structured identification and support programme should be tailored for this group. Adoptees from other regions have a more moderately increased risk, which should be communicated to adoptive parents and to professionals who care for adoptees in their clinical practice.
Of course it is still unclear whether the children actually had ADHD since attention difficulties and related "ADHD" symptoms can also be caused by sensory-integration dysfunction, trauma symptoms, Complex Trauma, attachment difficulties and disorders, and Bipolar disorder. The fact that the children from Eastern Europe had the highest rate of use of ADHD medication does suggest some environmental rather than a genetic cause for the attention problems; suggesting that the cause may lie with the effects of chronic early maltreatment on development (Complex Trauma)
Several investigators have reported an increased frequency of attention/hyperactivity symptoms in internationally adopted children. In this national cohort study, the authors aimed to determine the prevalence of ADHD medication in international adoptees in Sweden, in comparison to the general population. A further purpose was to study gender, age at adoption and region of origin as predictors of ADHD medication in international adoptees. The study population consisted of all Swedish residents born in 1985–2000 with Swedish-born parents, divided into 16,134 adoptees, and a comparison population of 1,326,090. ADHD medications were identified in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register during 2006. Logistic regression was used to calculate the "odds ratios".
The rates of ADHD medication were higher in international adoptees than in the comparison population for both boys (5.3 vs. 1.5% for 10–15-year olds) and girls (2.1 vs. 0.3% for 10–15-year olds). International adoptees from all regions of birth more often consumed ADHD medication compared with the majority population, but the age and sex adjusted odds ratios were particularly high for adoptees from Eastern Europe, Middle East/Africa and Latin America. Adjusting for maternal education and single parenthood increased the odds ratios even further. The risk also increased with higher age at adoption. Adoptees from Eastern Europe have a very high risk for ADHD medication. A structured identification and support programme should be tailored for this group. Adoptees from other regions have a more moderately increased risk, which should be communicated to adoptive parents and to professionals who care for adoptees in their clinical practice.
Of course it is still unclear whether the children actually had ADHD since attention difficulties and related "ADHD" symptoms can also be caused by sensory-integration dysfunction, trauma symptoms, Complex Trauma, attachment difficulties and disorders, and Bipolar disorder. The fact that the children from Eastern Europe had the highest rate of use of ADHD medication does suggest some environmental rather than a genetic cause for the attention problems; suggesting that the cause may lie with the effects of chronic early maltreatment on development (Complex Trauma)
Nov 29, 2009
Trauma's effects
Having a stressful childhood may slash decades off a person’s life, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.
Among people who reported experiencing at least six of eight different bad childhood experiences-from frequent verbal abuse to living with a mentally ill person-average age at death was about 61, compared to 79 for people who didn’t have any of these experiences as children, the researchers found.
Dr. David W. Brown and Dr. Robert Anda of the CDC and colleagues from the CDC and Kaiser Permanente have been following 17,337 men and women who visited the health plan between 1995 and 1997 to investigate the relationship between bad childhood experiences and health.
So far, Anda noted in an interview, they have shown links between childhood stressors and heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and other conditions. “The strength of it really surprised me, how powerfully it’s related to health,” the researcher said.
In the current analysis, the researchers reviewed death records through 2006 to investigate whether these experiences might also relate to mortality. During that time, 1,539 study participants died.
Each person was asked whether they had any of eight different categories of such experiences, including verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one’s parents separate or divorce.
Sixty-nine percent of the study participants who were younger than 65 reported at least one of the adverse childhood experiences, while 53 percent of people 65 and older did.
Those who reporting experiencing six or more were 1.5 times more likely to die during follow-up than those who reported none, the researchers found. They were 1.7 times as likely to die at age 75 or younger, and nearly 2.4 times as likely to die at or before age 65.
There are a number of ways that a traumatic childhood could contribute to ill health, Anda noted. For example, childhood stress affects brain development, so individuals who’ve experienced it may be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and more prone to deal with stress in unhealthy ways, for example by drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.
Just a third of the people in the study were completely free of any sort of childhood trauma, Anda added, making it clear that these sorts of harmful experiences are widespread.
“If we want to address a lot of major public health issues we’ve got to address the kind of stressors children have in our society as a way of primary prevention,” he said.
SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2009.
Having a stressful childhood can significantly reduce people’s life expectancy. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Permanente Organisation studied 17,337 men and women to investigate the links between bad childhood experiences and health. The researchers defined eight different adverse childhood experiences: verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one’s parents separate or divorce. 69% of the study participants under the age of 65 reported at least one of these experiences while 53% of those over 65 did. Those people who reported six or more adverse experiences were 1.7 times more likely to die at 75 or younger and 2.4 times more likely to die at 65 or younger. The authors of the study thought that having a troubled childhood makes people more likely to develop anxiety and depression which they cope with by using tobacco and alcohol.
Among people who reported experiencing at least six of eight different bad childhood experiences-from frequent verbal abuse to living with a mentally ill person-average age at death was about 61, compared to 79 for people who didn’t have any of these experiences as children, the researchers found.
Dr. David W. Brown and Dr. Robert Anda of the CDC and colleagues from the CDC and Kaiser Permanente have been following 17,337 men and women who visited the health plan between 1995 and 1997 to investigate the relationship between bad childhood experiences and health.
So far, Anda noted in an interview, they have shown links between childhood stressors and heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and other conditions. “The strength of it really surprised me, how powerfully it’s related to health,” the researcher said.
In the current analysis, the researchers reviewed death records through 2006 to investigate whether these experiences might also relate to mortality. During that time, 1,539 study participants died.
Each person was asked whether they had any of eight different categories of such experiences, including verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one’s parents separate or divorce.
Sixty-nine percent of the study participants who were younger than 65 reported at least one of the adverse childhood experiences, while 53 percent of people 65 and older did.
Those who reporting experiencing six or more were 1.5 times more likely to die during follow-up than those who reported none, the researchers found. They were 1.7 times as likely to die at age 75 or younger, and nearly 2.4 times as likely to die at or before age 65.
There are a number of ways that a traumatic childhood could contribute to ill health, Anda noted. For example, childhood stress affects brain development, so individuals who’ve experienced it may be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and more prone to deal with stress in unhealthy ways, for example by drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.
Just a third of the people in the study were completely free of any sort of childhood trauma, Anda added, making it clear that these sorts of harmful experiences are widespread.
“If we want to address a lot of major public health issues we’ve got to address the kind of stressors children have in our society as a way of primary prevention,” he said.
SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2009.
Having a stressful childhood can significantly reduce people’s life expectancy. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Permanente Organisation studied 17,337 men and women to investigate the links between bad childhood experiences and health. The researchers defined eight different adverse childhood experiences: verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one’s parents separate or divorce. 69% of the study participants under the age of 65 reported at least one of these experiences while 53% of those over 65 did. Those people who reported six or more adverse experiences were 1.7 times more likely to die at 75 or younger and 2.4 times more likely to die at 65 or younger. The authors of the study thought that having a troubled childhood makes people more likely to develop anxiety and depression which they cope with by using tobacco and alcohol.
Nov 27, 2009
More on Nature and Nurture and Violence
In intriguing research conducted at the University of California and other locations, it appears that psychopathic killers often have lower intelligence, which can be the result of brain damage; often from severe chronic maltreatment as a child. Three factors appear to be present among violent offenders:
1. Several "violence" genes.
2. Damage to certain areas of the brain
3. Exposure to extreme trauma and poor parental bonding in childhood.
Among genetic markers related to aggression and mood is MAOA. The high risk variant of this gene gets inherited more by males than females. MAOA regulates serotonin, which affects mood (which is why medications like Prozac affect mood. These medications are called SSRIs: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They function to keep more serotonin in the synapses between brain cells.). In the womb the high-risk version of MAOA can lead to a buildup of serotonin in the brain making the brain less sensitive to the normally calming effects of serotonin. Other research indicates that people who inherit the high-risk gene and who are raised in abusive homes may be more prone to violent behavior.
In another study pbulished in Comprehensive Psychiatry early in 2009, it was found that boys who inherit a mutated variant of MAOA are more likely to be in a gang than those without the mutation and are more likely than those without the mutation to be the most violent gang members.
1. Several "violence" genes.
2. Damage to certain areas of the brain
3. Exposure to extreme trauma and poor parental bonding in childhood.
Among genetic markers related to aggression and mood is MAOA. The high risk variant of this gene gets inherited more by males than females. MAOA regulates serotonin, which affects mood (which is why medications like Prozac affect mood. These medications are called SSRIs: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They function to keep more serotonin in the synapses between brain cells.). In the womb the high-risk version of MAOA can lead to a buildup of serotonin in the brain making the brain less sensitive to the normally calming effects of serotonin. Other research indicates that people who inherit the high-risk gene and who are raised in abusive homes may be more prone to violent behavior.
In another study pbulished in Comprehensive Psychiatry early in 2009, it was found that boys who inherit a mutated variant of MAOA are more likely to be in a gang than those without the mutation and are more likely than those without the mutation to be the most violent gang members.
Oct 29, 2009
Nature or Nurture? Which is it? Both!
Most scientists now accept that the nature/nurture debate is not a case of either/or but of genes and environment working together in a complex pattern to influence people's mental health. Researchers from the University of Iowa looked into one example of this examining how genes and attachment work together to influence how good young children are at self-control. They studied 89 children testing them to see whether they had a variation in a gene called 5-HTTLPR, measuring the quality of their relationship with their mothers at 15 months and how good they were at self-control at 25,38 and 52 months. They found that among children who carried a certain variant of the gene insecure attachment to their mothers at 15 months led to poorer ability to control their emotions later. However, those children who had secure attachment to their mothers at 15 months did not have problems with self-control later even if they carried the variation in the 5-HTTLPR gene.
Kochanska, Grazyna, Philibert, Robert A. and Barry, Robin A. - Interplay of genes and early mother-child relationship in the development of self-regulation from toddler to preschool age The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry November 2009, 50(11), 1331-1338
Kochanska, Grazyna, Philibert, Robert A. and Barry, Robin A. - Interplay of genes and early mother-child relationship in the development of self-regulation from toddler to preschool age The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry November 2009, 50(11), 1331-1338
Oct 28, 2009
Child Sexual Abuse causes later problems
An investigation published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics explores the link between child sexual abuse and inability to express emotions in adulthood.
Alexithymia, a clinical condition typified by a reported inability to identify or describe one’s emotions, is associated with various forms of psychopathology, including depression. Highly alexithymic (HA) outpatients are more likely to be female, less likely to have children and are characterized by more somatic-affective symptoms of depression and interpersonal aloofness.
The Authors of this investigation extended these findings by examining personality traits and childhood sexual abuse history. Participants were 94 depressed patients [57.45% with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), 37.23% with single-episode MDD, 5.32% with depressive disorder not otherwise specified] 50 years of age and older recruited from psychiatric treatment facilities in Upstate New York. Individuals completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders. Alexithymia was assessed with the 20-item self-report Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Its 3 subscales measure difficulty identifying feelings and distinguishing them from bodily sensations (DIF), difficulty describing and communicating feelings (DDF) and externally oriented thinking (EOT), the latter being a tendency to focus on concrete details of external events rather than on aspects of inner experience. Depressive symptom severity was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Five personality domains, i.e. neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness, were assessed with the NEO Personality Inventory. History of childhood sexual abuse was assessed using the Childhood Sexual Abuse subscale of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. A latent class cluster analysis (M-Plus 4.20) was performed on the DIF, DDF and EOT subscales. All 3 indicators favored a 3-cluster solution. This solution identified 3 groups, i.e. low alexithymia (LA; n = 11, 63.64% women), moderate alexithymia (MA; n = 40, 60% women) and HA (n = 43, 60.47% women). The distribution of mood diagnoses, single-episode MDD, recurrent MDD and depressive disorder not otherwise specified was not significantly different among the 3 alexithymic clusters (p> 0.05). The Authors conducted 10 separate multivariate generalized logit regressions; odds ratios were calculated for LA versus HA and MA versus HA class membership. Putative predictors were total BDI-II and the 3 subscales, childhood sexual abuse and the 5 personality domains. Covariates were age, gender and education. The 3 BDI-II subscales as well as the total score significantly distinguished LA and MA from HA. Lower levels of depressive symptoms significantly decreased the odds of HA membership. Odds ratios ranged between 0.32 and 0.94 (p< 0.05).
Childhood sexual abuse distinguished MA from HA; lower levels of childhood sexual abuse decreased the odds of HA membership (p< 0.05). Neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness also distinguished the 3 groups. Low neuroticism decreased the odds of HA membership, with odds ratios ranging between 0.95 and 0.97 (p< 0.01). Low openness and conscientiousness increased the odds of HA membership, with odds ratios ranging between 1.02 and 1.07 (p<0.05).
The HA group in this study was characterized by higher neuroticism and lower openness to experience and conscientiousness, a profile that reflects a distressed personality type, which has been related to poorer health outcomes and general functioning and more psychological distress. A similar personality profile was observed for the MA group, with the notable exception being their above-average levels of agreeableness and openness to experience. Interestingly, the HA group was characterized by more childhood sexual abuse compared to the MA patients. These findings add to the mounting evidence for a relationship between childhood sexual abuse and alexithymia; individuals with a history of childhood sexual abuse may have a reduced capacity to experience emotion in relation to their trauma, and this phenomenon may generalize to experiencing all emotions. Childhood sexual abuse has been found to interfere with the development of emotion regulation and to be related to attachment disturbance. The combination of childhood sexual abuse and alexithymia must be considered in the design and implementation of treatment studies, as these patients are more resistant to treatment (the attachment disturbance makes it more difficult for these clients to engage in a therapeutic relationship) and have slower recovery rates and poorer outcomes. Identifying a patient as alexithymic may suggest a history of early traumatic events which increases the likelihood and severity of depression. Treatment should be tailored to address the depressive symptoms along with the affective experience (identification, differentiation, labelling and management of feelings).
Source:Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics: Topciu, R.A. ; Zhao, X.; Tang, W; Heisel, M.J.; Talbot, N.L.; Duberstein, P.R. Childhood Sexual Abuse and Personality Differentiating High and Low Alexithymia in a Depressed Population. Psychother Psychosom 2009;78:385-387
Alexithymia, a clinical condition typified by a reported inability to identify or describe one’s emotions, is associated with various forms of psychopathology, including depression. Highly alexithymic (HA) outpatients are more likely to be female, less likely to have children and are characterized by more somatic-affective symptoms of depression and interpersonal aloofness.
The Authors of this investigation extended these findings by examining personality traits and childhood sexual abuse history. Participants were 94 depressed patients [57.45% with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), 37.23% with single-episode MDD, 5.32% with depressive disorder not otherwise specified] 50 years of age and older recruited from psychiatric treatment facilities in Upstate New York. Individuals completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders. Alexithymia was assessed with the 20-item self-report Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Its 3 subscales measure difficulty identifying feelings and distinguishing them from bodily sensations (DIF), difficulty describing and communicating feelings (DDF) and externally oriented thinking (EOT), the latter being a tendency to focus on concrete details of external events rather than on aspects of inner experience. Depressive symptom severity was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Five personality domains, i.e. neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness, were assessed with the NEO Personality Inventory. History of childhood sexual abuse was assessed using the Childhood Sexual Abuse subscale of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. A latent class cluster analysis (M-Plus 4.20) was performed on the DIF, DDF and EOT subscales. All 3 indicators favored a 3-cluster solution. This solution identified 3 groups, i.e. low alexithymia (LA; n = 11, 63.64% women), moderate alexithymia (MA; n = 40, 60% women) and HA (n = 43, 60.47% women). The distribution of mood diagnoses, single-episode MDD, recurrent MDD and depressive disorder not otherwise specified was not significantly different among the 3 alexithymic clusters (p> 0.05). The Authors conducted 10 separate multivariate generalized logit regressions; odds ratios were calculated for LA versus HA and MA versus HA class membership. Putative predictors were total BDI-II and the 3 subscales, childhood sexual abuse and the 5 personality domains. Covariates were age, gender and education. The 3 BDI-II subscales as well as the total score significantly distinguished LA and MA from HA. Lower levels of depressive symptoms significantly decreased the odds of HA membership. Odds ratios ranged between 0.32 and 0.94 (p< 0.05).
Childhood sexual abuse distinguished MA from HA; lower levels of childhood sexual abuse decreased the odds of HA membership (p< 0.05). Neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness also distinguished the 3 groups. Low neuroticism decreased the odds of HA membership, with odds ratios ranging between 0.95 and 0.97 (p< 0.01). Low openness and conscientiousness increased the odds of HA membership, with odds ratios ranging between 1.02 and 1.07 (p<0.05).
The HA group in this study was characterized by higher neuroticism and lower openness to experience and conscientiousness, a profile that reflects a distressed personality type, which has been related to poorer health outcomes and general functioning and more psychological distress. A similar personality profile was observed for the MA group, with the notable exception being their above-average levels of agreeableness and openness to experience. Interestingly, the HA group was characterized by more childhood sexual abuse compared to the MA patients. These findings add to the mounting evidence for a relationship between childhood sexual abuse and alexithymia; individuals with a history of childhood sexual abuse may have a reduced capacity to experience emotion in relation to their trauma, and this phenomenon may generalize to experiencing all emotions. Childhood sexual abuse has been found to interfere with the development of emotion regulation and to be related to attachment disturbance. The combination of childhood sexual abuse and alexithymia must be considered in the design and implementation of treatment studies, as these patients are more resistant to treatment (the attachment disturbance makes it more difficult for these clients to engage in a therapeutic relationship) and have slower recovery rates and poorer outcomes. Identifying a patient as alexithymic may suggest a history of early traumatic events which increases the likelihood and severity of depression. Treatment should be tailored to address the depressive symptoms along with the affective experience (identification, differentiation, labelling and management of feelings).
Source:Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics: Topciu, R.A. ; Zhao, X.; Tang, W; Heisel, M.J.; Talbot, N.L.; Duberstein, P.R. Childhood Sexual Abuse and Personality Differentiating High and Low Alexithymia in a Depressed Population. Psychother Psychosom 2009;78:385-387
Oct 23, 2009
Effects of Trauma (PTSD) on the Brain
Brain scans of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have shown abnormalities in parts of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, the amygdala and the hippocampus but it is not known whether these abnormalities have developed because of the PTSD or if they reflect an inherited risk factor for the condition. A team of researchers from Massachusetts and New Hampshire investigated this issue in a study of 66 people. All the participants in the study were identical twins and they were divided into two groups. One group was made up of pairs of twins where one twin had fought in a war and developed PTSD and the other twin had not fought. The other group was made up of one twin who had fought but not developed PTSD and their twins who had not fought. Those veterans who had developed PTSD and their non-combatant twins both showed more activity in their dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and their midcingulate cortex than the group of twins who had not developed PTSD after combat and their twins. The more active the brain regions were in the twins not exposed to combat whose siblings had developed PTSD the worse their siblings' PTSD symptoms were. The study shows that enhanced activity in this part of the brain is a risk factor for PTSD, not a consequence of it.
These findings clearly have implications for people who have experienced Complex Trauma and disorders of attachment.
Shin, Lisa M. ... [et al] - Resting metabolic activity in the cingulate cortex and vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder Archives of General Psychiatry October 2009, 66(10), 1099-1107
These findings clearly have implications for people who have experienced Complex Trauma and disorders of attachment.
Shin, Lisa M. ... [et al] - Resting metabolic activity in the cingulate cortex and vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder Archives of General Psychiatry October 2009, 66(10), 1099-1107
Oct 14, 2009
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Having a stressful childhood may slash decades off a person's life, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.
Among people who reported experiencing at least six of eight different bad childhood experiences-from frequent verbal abuse to living with a mentally ill person-average age at death was about 61, compared to 79 for people who didn't have any of these experiences as children, the researchers found.
Dr. David W. Brown and Dr. Robert Anda of the CDC and colleagues from the CDC and Kaiser Permanente have been following 17,337 men and women who visited the health plan between 1995 and 1997 to investigate the relationship between bad childhood experiences and health.
So far, Anda noted in an interview, they have shown links between childhood stressors and heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and other conditions. "The strength of it really surprised me, how powerfully it's related to health," the researcher said.
In the current analysis, the researchers reviewed death records through 2006 to investigate whether these experiences might also relate to mortality. During that time, 1,539 study participants died.
Each person was asked whether they had any of eight different categories of such experiences, including verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one's parents separate or divorce.
Sixty-nine percent of the study participants who were younger than 65 reported at least one of the adverse childhood experiences, while 53 percent of people 65 and older did.
Those who reporting experiencing six or more were 1.5 times more likely to die during follow-up than those who reported none, the researchers found. They were 1.7 times as likely to die at age 75 or younger, and nearly 2.4 times as likely to die at or before age 65.
There are a number of ways that a traumatic childhood could contribute to ill health, Anda noted. For example, childhood stress affects brain development, so individuals who've experienced it may be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and more prone to deal with stress in unhealthy ways, for example by drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.
Just a third of the people in the study were completely free of any sort of childhood trauma, Anda added, making it clear that these sorts of harmful experiences are widespread.
"If we want to address a lot of major public health issues we've got to address the kind of stressors children have in our society as a way of primary prevention," he said.
SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2009.
Having a stressful childhood can significantly reduce people's life expectancy. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Permanente Organisation studied 17,337 men and women to investigate the links between bad childhood experiences and health. The researchers defined eight different adverse childhood experiences: verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one's parents separate or divorce. 69% of the study participants under the age of 65 reported at least one of these experiences while 53% of those over 65 did. Those people who reported six or more adverse experiences were 1.7 times more likely to die at 75 or younger and 2.4 times more likely to die at 65 or younger. The authors of the study thought that having a troubled childhood makes people more likely to develop anxiety and depression which they cope with by using tobacco and alcohol.
Among people who reported experiencing at least six of eight different bad childhood experiences-from frequent verbal abuse to living with a mentally ill person-average age at death was about 61, compared to 79 for people who didn't have any of these experiences as children, the researchers found.
Dr. David W. Brown and Dr. Robert Anda of the CDC and colleagues from the CDC and Kaiser Permanente have been following 17,337 men and women who visited the health plan between 1995 and 1997 to investigate the relationship between bad childhood experiences and health.
So far, Anda noted in an interview, they have shown links between childhood stressors and heart disease, lung disease, liver disease and other conditions. "The strength of it really surprised me, how powerfully it's related to health," the researcher said.
In the current analysis, the researchers reviewed death records through 2006 to investigate whether these experiences might also relate to mortality. During that time, 1,539 study participants died.
Each person was asked whether they had any of eight different categories of such experiences, including verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one's parents separate or divorce.
Sixty-nine percent of the study participants who were younger than 65 reported at least one of the adverse childhood experiences, while 53 percent of people 65 and older did.
Those who reporting experiencing six or more were 1.5 times more likely to die during follow-up than those who reported none, the researchers found. They were 1.7 times as likely to die at age 75 or younger, and nearly 2.4 times as likely to die at or before age 65.
There are a number of ways that a traumatic childhood could contribute to ill health, Anda noted. For example, childhood stress affects brain development, so individuals who've experienced it may be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and more prone to deal with stress in unhealthy ways, for example by drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.
Just a third of the people in the study were completely free of any sort of childhood trauma, Anda added, making it clear that these sorts of harmful experiences are widespread.
"If we want to address a lot of major public health issues we've got to address the kind of stressors children have in our society as a way of primary prevention," he said.
SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November 2009.
Having a stressful childhood can significantly reduce people's life expectancy. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Permanente Organisation studied 17,337 men and women to investigate the links between bad childhood experiences and health. The researchers defined eight different adverse childhood experiences: verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse with physical contact, having a battered mother, having a substance-abusing person in the household, having a mentally ill person in the household, having a household member who was incarcerated, or having one's parents separate or divorce. 69% of the study participants under the age of 65 reported at least one of these experiences while 53% of those over 65 did. Those people who reported six or more adverse experiences were 1.7 times more likely to die at 75 or younger and 2.4 times more likely to die at 65 or younger. The authors of the study thought that having a troubled childhood makes people more likely to develop anxiety and depression which they cope with by using tobacco and alcohol.
Jul 4, 2009
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
BOOK REVIEW
The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry & Maia Szalavitz, Basic Books, NY, 2006.
This terrifically engaging and readable book can be thought of as the case-book companion to Dr. Daniel Siegel’s The Developing Mind. Dr. Perry and Ms. Szalavitz, an award winning writer, present eleven stories, hence the subtitle: “And other stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook. What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing.” In this book each story describes a child’s trauma, how this affected the child, and what could be done about that. Much of what Dr. Perry presents may not be new, but the manner in which his insights are woven into these stories is wonderful. A major theme is how early maltreatment dysregulates the stress-response system and how this state eventually becomes a trait. He peppers the book with some very interesting tidbits…such as that many children who have experienced chronic early trauma have elevated resting heart rates. This is one of those things that, after reading, I said, Oh, I think I new that, but never really thought about it. (BTW, this helps explain why and how the blood pressure medication, Clonadine can sometimes be helpful for children who experience Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.) When I began asking the families I see to take the pulse of their children while the child was asleep, a large percentage (over half!) reported resting pulse rates of over 110 bpm.
The book emphasizes and underscores the power of relationships to wound and heal. “To calm a frightened child, you must first calm yourself.” This simple and profound statement is echoed throughout the book and can be considered one of the cornerstones of good parenting and treatment. In another section of the book, “The Coldest Heart,” he describes how many traumatized children have a large split between verbal and performance scores and how this reflects imbalances in the brain’s capacity to modulate affect. Although this, and other insights, may seem esoteric, it is the way these insights are woven into very touching stories that make the material memorable and usable.
Each story is both delightful and horrifying to read. Dr. Perry’s compassion and insights are models of how a therapist should act. The stories include the Branch Davidian children and some other famous cases. This is a must read book that should be in every clinician’s bookcase. I have also begun recommending it to parents, who are finding the insights presented very helpful in understanding their child and developing better ways of managing their own feelings.
The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry & Maia Szalavitz, Basic Books, NY, 2006.
This terrifically engaging and readable book can be thought of as the case-book companion to Dr. Daniel Siegel’s The Developing Mind. Dr. Perry and Ms. Szalavitz, an award winning writer, present eleven stories, hence the subtitle: “And other stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook. What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing.” In this book each story describes a child’s trauma, how this affected the child, and what could be done about that. Much of what Dr. Perry presents may not be new, but the manner in which his insights are woven into these stories is wonderful. A major theme is how early maltreatment dysregulates the stress-response system and how this state eventually becomes a trait. He peppers the book with some very interesting tidbits…such as that many children who have experienced chronic early trauma have elevated resting heart rates. This is one of those things that, after reading, I said, Oh, I think I new that, but never really thought about it. (BTW, this helps explain why and how the blood pressure medication, Clonadine can sometimes be helpful for children who experience Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.) When I began asking the families I see to take the pulse of their children while the child was asleep, a large percentage (over half!) reported resting pulse rates of over 110 bpm.
The book emphasizes and underscores the power of relationships to wound and heal. “To calm a frightened child, you must first calm yourself.” This simple and profound statement is echoed throughout the book and can be considered one of the cornerstones of good parenting and treatment. In another section of the book, “The Coldest Heart,” he describes how many traumatized children have a large split between verbal and performance scores and how this reflects imbalances in the brain’s capacity to modulate affect. Although this, and other insights, may seem esoteric, it is the way these insights are woven into very touching stories that make the material memorable and usable.
Each story is both delightful and horrifying to read. Dr. Perry’s compassion and insights are models of how a therapist should act. The stories include the Branch Davidian children and some other famous cases. This is a must read book that should be in every clinician’s bookcase. I have also begun recommending it to parents, who are finding the insights presented very helpful in understanding their child and developing better ways of managing their own feelings.
Jun 12, 2009
Brain Research on Wisdom: Implications for Attachment
Thomas Meks and Dilip Jeste, two neuroscientists at the University of CA at San Diego have completed a detailed "meta-analysis" of several decades worth of research and have found that many of the characteristics that we associate with wisdom (social decision making, control of emotions, balancing competing values and objectives, etc) may be accounted for by the activity of just a few brain regions. They term this the "wisdom network."
The anterior cigulate cortex is one part of this network. It detects conflicts and makes decisions. Recently psychologists at Stanford U found that activity in this region predicts how we balance short term and long term rewards. Wisdom involves both logical calculations and the influence of emotions, feelings, and instincts. For this we turn to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, among other regions of the brain. A recent study from the U of Iowa and Caltech found that damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex made people less susceptible to guild and led to poor social decision making.
What does this mean for attachment, trauma, and treatment? Well, we know that these, and other important areas of the brain are heavily influenced by early childhood experiences and that chronic early maltreatment within a caregiving relationship (Complex Trauma) result is poorer functioning and integration of these and other significant areas of the brain (See Daniel Siegel's and A. Shore's seminal works on the influence of attachment and brain development and functioning for more details). In other words, early experiences affect the development of patterns of attachment and affect brain development. The integration of various systems of the brain involved in assessing and managing relationships, emotions, and other "executive functions," is directly affected by early parent-child relationships. The implications of this for assessment, treatment, child welfare policies and practices is obvious. Early relationships have a long-term and significant impact on latter development and functioning because of the effects of these experiences on brain development and integration.
The anterior cigulate cortex is one part of this network. It detects conflicts and makes decisions. Recently psychologists at Stanford U found that activity in this region predicts how we balance short term and long term rewards. Wisdom involves both logical calculations and the influence of emotions, feelings, and instincts. For this we turn to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, among other regions of the brain. A recent study from the U of Iowa and Caltech found that damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex made people less susceptible to guild and led to poor social decision making.
What does this mean for attachment, trauma, and treatment? Well, we know that these, and other important areas of the brain are heavily influenced by early childhood experiences and that chronic early maltreatment within a caregiving relationship (Complex Trauma) result is poorer functioning and integration of these and other significant areas of the brain (See Daniel Siegel's and A. Shore's seminal works on the influence of attachment and brain development and functioning for more details). In other words, early experiences affect the development of patterns of attachment and affect brain development. The integration of various systems of the brain involved in assessing and managing relationships, emotions, and other "executive functions," is directly affected by early parent-child relationships. The implications of this for assessment, treatment, child welfare policies and practices is obvious. Early relationships have a long-term and significant impact on latter development and functioning because of the effects of these experiences on brain development and integration.
Brain Research on Wisdom: Implications for Attachment
Thomas Meks and Dilip Jeste, two neuroscientists at the University of CA at San Diego have completed a detailed "meta-analysis" of several decades worth of research and have found that many of the characteristics that we associate with wisdom (social decision making, control of emotions, balancing competing values and objectives, etc) may be accounted for by the activity of just a few brain regions. They term this the "wisdom network."
The anterior cigulate cortex is one part of this network. It detects conflicts and makes decisions. Recently psychologists at Stanford U found that activity in this region predicts how we balance short term and long term rewards. Wisdom involves both logical calculations and the influence of emotions, feelings, and instincts. For this we turn to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, among other regions of the brain. A recent study from the U of Iowa and Caltech found that damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex made people less susceptible to guild and led to poor social decision making.
What does this mean for attachment, trauma, and treatment? Well, we know that these, and other important areas of the brain are heavily influenced by early childhood experiences and that chronic early maltreatment within a caregiving relationship (Complex Trauma) result is poorer functioning and integration of these and other significant areas of the brain (See Daniel Siegel's and A. Shore's seminal works on the influence of attachment and brain development and functioning for more details). In other words, early experiences affect the development of patterns of attachment and affect brain development. The integration of various systems of the brain involved in assessing and managing relationships, emotions, and other "executive functions," is directly affected by early parent-child relationships. The implications of this for assessment, treatment, child welfare policies and practices is obvious. Early relationships have a long-term and significant impact on latter development and functioning because of the effects of these experiences on brain development and integration.
The anterior cigulate cortex is one part of this network. It detects conflicts and makes decisions. Recently psychologists at Stanford U found that activity in this region predicts how we balance short term and long term rewards. Wisdom involves both logical calculations and the influence of emotions, feelings, and instincts. For this we turn to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, among other regions of the brain. A recent study from the U of Iowa and Caltech found that damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex made people less susceptible to guild and led to poor social decision making.
What does this mean for attachment, trauma, and treatment? Well, we know that these, and other important areas of the brain are heavily influenced by early childhood experiences and that chronic early maltreatment within a caregiving relationship (Complex Trauma) result is poorer functioning and integration of these and other significant areas of the brain (See Daniel Siegel's and A. Shore's seminal works on the influence of attachment and brain development and functioning for more details). In other words, early experiences affect the development of patterns of attachment and affect brain development. The integration of various systems of the brain involved in assessing and managing relationships, emotions, and other "executive functions," is directly affected by early parent-child relationships. The implications of this for assessment, treatment, child welfare policies and practices is obvious. Early relationships have a long-term and significant impact on latter development and functioning because of the effects of these experiences on brain development and integration.
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