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Brain and behavioural plasticity in the developing brain
US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health ^ | Dec. 14, 2009 | Dr Bryan Kolb

Posted on 11/13/2019 6:00:47 PM PST by daniel1212

Your brain is not just produced by your genes; it’s sculpted by a lifetime of experiences. Experience alters brain activity, which changes gene expression. Any behavioural changes you see reflect alterations in the brain. The opposite is also true: behaviour can change the brain. When we first learn a new motor skill, it seems impossible until practice – repetition – changes the brain.

The brain remains ‘plastic’ throughout life, but trajectories are set during the prenatal period and early childhood. Brain development is very rapid in the womb and continues at an accelerated rate in the first two to three years in particular. Although the sculpting of the brain actively continues for the next 20 years or more, early life experiences will affect your responses throughout life. Many health and behavioural disorders are related to how the brain developed in its earliest period...

The developing cortex is altered by many pre- and postnatal events, including sensory and motor experience, parent-child relationships, play, stress, hormones and psychoactive drugs.

Healthy, engaged parents are the best brain supports a child can have. There is a connection between touch, the skin and brain development. Tactile stimulation by caregivers, and even expectant mothers rubbing their abdomens, aids brain development. The caregiver’s behaviour is transferred to the child epigenetically and affects the lifelong health of the infant via later stress reactivity. The trajectory is set very early on....

There is pretty compelling information now that if your father was an alcoholic, even if you never met him, your brain is different from someone whose father was not.

The speed at which the matured social brain comes on line is biased by early experiences. For some people, it never comes because of high stress or other factors in early childhood. Play behaviour profoundly changes the social brain. Play mimics adult behaviour and helps establish social rules. The brains of animals that grow up with adults only are different than those exposed to many playmates. Peer relationships are critical.

Outcomes such as talking or toilet training are not possible until the brain is ready. Some behaviours take a long time to mature. As late as the mid-teens, children have a difficult time deciphering emotion; they’re not bad at recognizing happy things but don’t do well with sad or disgusting things. This partly relates to the relative immaturity of the brain and also to the differences between boys and girls.

There are big differences in gray volume that reflect the number of neurons in brain cells, with boys reaching their peak approximately two years after girls. This means that environments and experiences will have different effects in girls than in boys.

Hormones have huge influences on the brain, resulting in different sizes in different areas of the brain between the sexes. This should affect behaviour and, in fact, it does. But the effect of hormones is affected by the experience you have during each phase of life – from embryo through to adulthood. Males, for example, are more affected by prenatal experiences because of the presence of testosterone.

There is a huge difference in language ability. Young girls begin talking much sooner than boys, and this is reflected in girls having much more complex cells in the language areas of the brain. Males use more brain to talk because their cells are not as large. There are many more sexual differences in early development, but discrepancies in language development alone suggest that preschool environments and expectations should adapt to these differences.

Cognitive function is also influenced by early experience. We know that more educated people have more complex language centres. But language is found everywhere in the brain and is related to talking, understanding, reading, writing, thinking and emotion. When children are read to, the experience does different things to different parts of the brain. We don’t know yet what types of early experiences give us the biggest effect on brain capacity or IQ, but we know that early reading does have an impact...

The presence of family violence, sexual abuse, drug or alcohol abuse, growing up in a family where someone is in jail, or where a parent suffers from chronic depression or other mental illness, has the effect of turning gold into lead in terms of the future prospects of children.

The presence of any one of these circumstances compromises adult health. The presence of two or more increases the likelihood of being addicted to drugs or attempting suicide by 50 times...

Drugs given prenatally, as well as in early development and adolescence, can alter later response to sensory experiences, learning and memory. The developing cortex is altered by psychoactive drugs as well as by ‘heavy’ drugs, and most of us were exposed to some drugs in utero – nicotine, caffeine, antidepressants, etc.

All drugs leave a footprint on the brain. Something about them changes the brain structure. The likelihood of becoming an addict depends on prenatal and early childhood experiences. Tactile stimulation has a reducing effect, whereas pre- and postnatal stress heighten the likelihood of addictions.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Education; Health/Medicine; Religion
KEYWORDS: brain; dsj02; perversion; programming; science
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An interesting article. While liberals use such research to excuse wrong behavior (when they are not calling evil as good) and present themselves as The Solution (how brain plasticity relates to becomes a liberal is not discussed), yet there is a basis for traits being passed on.

Scripture warns of "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:7) I take this to mean that as a certain negative characteristics are often passed on from bad parenting, and conversely good characteristics are usually passed on from sound parenting.

However, this does not mean one is locked into negative characteristics and are excusable, and by God's grace such can find redemption, deliverance and overcoming.

Another aspect of this research is how it effects the argument that the brains of homosexuals are different, and thus they are said to have no choice but to act them out.

However, consistent with Brain and behavioural plasticity research this (if real) can be result of nurture and personal choices.

1 posted on 11/13/2019 6:00:47 PM PST by daniel1212
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To: daniel1212

How can this be? They only included boys and girls in this study. If they included the other 70+ genders it would get very complicated. //sarc off//


2 posted on 11/13/2019 6:21:16 PM PST by mosaicwolf
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To: mosaicwolf
How can this be? They only included boys and girls in this study. If they included the other 70+ genders it would get very complicated. //sarc off//

And the Orangutan with human rights to begin new life in Florida - BBC ..

3 posted on 11/13/2019 6:25:02 PM PST by daniel1212 ( Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: sauropod

for grace


4 posted on 11/13/2019 6:27:58 PM PST by sauropod (I am His and He is mine)
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To: daniel1212

The human brain does not fully develop until about age 25 when the pre frontal cortex or analytical thinking is done. Some people never develop this area.

Quite honestly, this article is hogwash as it does not consider the progressively increasing frequencies of consciousness during development.

There are several important factors in brain development.

1. “Emotional Attachment and Bonding” with the mother is necessary for stability in the child and psychological stability later in life.

2. Childhood experiences form perceptual programming events that formulate and influence perception of reality throughout life.

3. The balance of left brain masculine logical thought processing vs. Right brain feminine emotional thought processing is imbalanced during the first trimester of fetal development when the neural tube and hypothalamus is developing in the womb, based upon the experiences of the mother during this development process.


5 posted on 11/13/2019 7:16:11 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: daniel1212

The process used in the article’s research is not scientific. It is at best a survey.

Correlations are not pure science.


6 posted on 11/13/2019 7:21:14 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: daniel1212

Just a few hours ago I worked with a 71 yr old female executive. She had a specific interaction with another female that locked up her muscles in her back and made her very emotional. This was totally out of the norm for her very logical intelligent decision making demeanor.

It took me 2 minutes to identify the perceptual programming event in her childhood and another 5 minutes to totally heal the emotional wound permanently.

The stored memories of a person’s life experiences since conception are physical to my perception. I walked away from her about 12 feet and reached out and took hold of the physical memory and explained that it was caused by her mother’s emotional trauma when she was 3 yrs old when her grandmother died. She then confirmed my statement that was not mentioned previously.

When I took hold of the stored memory in her soul and pulled on it, she became uncontrollably emotional and came towards me as though I had a rope tied to her. I asked her to forgive her mother and herself, and she shifted backwards like the rope broke, allowing me to lift the emotional trauma from her soul. Forgiveness detaches us from the emotional trauma.

Totally healed from beginning to end in less than 10 minutes. We tested it by having her think of the woman that she encountered that triggered the extreme emotion.. totally gone.


7 posted on 11/13/2019 7:39:09 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: tired&retired; ConservativeMind; ealgeone; Gamecock; HarleyD; Luircin; aMorePerfectUnion; ...
Just a few hours ago I worked with a 71 yr old female executive. She had a specific interaction with another female that locked up her muscles in her back and made her very emotional. This was totally out of the norm for her very logical intelligent decision making demeanor. It took me 2 minutes to identify the perceptual programming event in her childhood and another 5 minutes to totally heal the emotional wound permanently. The stored memories of a person’s life experiences since conception are physical to my perception. I walked away from her about 12 feet and reached out and took hold of the physical memory and explained that it was caused by her mother’s emotional trauma when she was 3 yrs old when her grandmother died. She then confirmed my statement that was not mentioned previously. When I took hold of the stored memory in her soul and pulled on it, she became uncontrollably emotional and came towards me as though I had a rope tied to her. I asked her to forgive her mother and herself, and she shifted backwards like the rope broke, allowing me to lift the emotional trauma from her soul. Forgiveness detaches us from the emotional trauma. Totally healed from beginning to end in less than 10 minutes. We tested it by having her think of the woman that she encountered that triggered the extreme emotion.. totally gone.

I guess i have heard stranger things. How did you take "hold of the stored memory in her soul and pulled on it, "

8 posted on 11/13/2019 7:53:34 PM PST by daniel1212 ( Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: tired&retired

You’re the hero in every story, aren’t you?

Why haven’t you gone to Washington yet and told President Trump how to solve the world’s problems?


9 posted on 11/13/2019 8:01:42 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: daniel1212

Consciousness itself is physical to my perception ever since my death experience that suppressed my GABA inhibitory neurons, thus allowing the action potential firing rate of my pyramidal neurons to go high in the gamma frequency changing my perception of reality.


10 posted on 11/13/2019 8:03:01 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: metmom

Not a hero... it just is.


11 posted on 11/13/2019 8:03:43 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: daniel1212

Pyramidal neurons are the transmitters and receiver’s in the brain, interfacing consciousness with the physical neurons. They exist in the cortex with the largest in layer 5 and in the hippocampus and the amygdala.


12 posted on 11/13/2019 8:07:09 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: tired&retired

You are dealing with the demonic by claiming you have power like that.

You need to repent of what you are doing and turn to God, for your own sake.


13 posted on 11/13/2019 8:19:17 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: daniel1212

“There is a connection between touch, the skin and brain development. Tactile stimulation by caregivers, and even expectant mothers rubbing their abdomens, aids brain development. The caregiver’s behaviour is transferred to the child epigenetically and affects the lifelong health of the infant via later stress reactivity. The trajectory is set very early on....”

This made me feel a whole lot better as a mom. I was never a touchy person until I had kids. I kissed and cuddled my babies, snuggled with my littles and still hug or put my hands on the arms and backs of my teens when I talk to them.

Our oldest was an interesting baby. He was quiet and didn’t really snuggle in to me. My sister in law noticed and told me that some babies don’t like a lot of touch and maybe I should just let him be. I smiled but thought ,”he’s my baby, I’m going to keep kissing and cuddling him.” He grew to love snuggling and by the age of one we had to rock him to sleep. As he got older we noticed some quirks that perhaps were mildly in the autism spectrum. We were pretty firm with him about normal vs weird mannerisms and he ended up a captain of the football and wrestling teams and does well socially. To this day he is our hugger and is really good with people. I sometimes wonder if his life would have been different had I taken my sister in law’s advice. I may be full of self doubt, but I always lived on my kiddos.


14 posted on 11/13/2019 8:21:49 PM PST by NorthstarMom
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To: metmom

It’s not power. It is weakness.

When I died I was no longer attached to the frequency of this reality. That is what Jesus spoke of in dying daily.

When you are weak in self, you have room for higher consciousness to work through you. When you are full of yourself there is no room for it. It’s described accurately in the Bible.


15 posted on 11/13/2019 8:24:58 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: tired&retired

And you “know” this how? Just curious.


16 posted on 11/13/2019 8:26:33 PM PST by Vermont Lt
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To: NorthstarMom

Were there complications in your life during the 3rd month of pregnancy with your oldest son?


17 posted on 11/13/2019 8:26:57 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: NorthstarMom

That would be interesting to research.

I hugged and kissed my kids a LOT as I never had much of it as a child myself.

My mom was raised by a very abusive father and she was not affectionate with us so I determined that it would be different with my kids.

My oldest is also diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

She’s brilliant, but socially awkward and in many respects socially immature. But a very sweet person and dos not have a malicious bone in her body.


18 posted on 11/13/2019 8:27:10 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: tired&retired

When you *died* some demonic something convinced you it was God and you are being deceived by dabbling in demonic, unChristian stuff.

Your use of Scripture doe snot support your claims and the powers you claim you have are not Scriptural.


19 posted on 11/13/2019 8:32:26 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: NorthstarMom

Bowlby & Ainsworth both researched emotional bonding and attachment in child development. The impact of their research is far more important than they are given credit for.

You are correct in your observations. It’s why I mentioned it in the numerical list above.


20 posted on 11/13/2019 8:33:22 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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