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CELL BODY
AXON
Myelin sheath
Schwann cellNode of Ranvier
Synaptic terminals
Dendrites NucleusSynapses
•100,000,000,000 neurons at birth
•Each has about 10,000 dendrites (branches)
•1,000,000,000,000,000 possible configurations
•17% of the neurons are wired at birth
Neurons: Building Blocks of the Brain
•Genetics---”hard wiring”
•Experience—”The neurons that fire together wire together.”
•Whatever the brain does a lot of is what it gets good at.
Twin Drivers
•The neurons that fire together wire together
•Blossoming - Pruning Sequence
•Window of Opportunity
•Window of Sensitivity
The Brain’s Growth Spurts
CELL BODY
AXON
Myelin sheath
Schwann cellNode of Ranvier
Synaptic terminals
Dendrites NucleusSynapses
•Many forms of memory
- Explicit I remember something and I can recall when, where, how etc.
- Implicit Memory--I remember something, but I do not recall how or why I remember it.
“Mental Operating System”
•We have many more implicit memories than explicit memories.
•A baby is forming implicit memories for many months before she can form her first explicit memory.
•Early implicit memories function as the “mental operating software.”
Implicit Memory
Brain’s Response to Threat
Brain’s first pri0rity is survival
Some brain circuits act as “interstates”
Response to threat is a hard wired “interstate.”
Infant Response
Birth upsets the apple cart.
We outsource stress response to caregivers.
Eventually a mature cortex allows us to self regulate.
Stress Response and Attachment
We humans outsource stress response calming.
We humans are wired to attach.
Attachment
Present
Attentive
Attuned
Responsive
Connection and Learning
Stress, anxiety, and threat shift brain activity from the cortex to lower brain regions.
This interferes with thinking, problem solving.
Cortisol interferes with memory.
Importance of Connection in the Classroom
The most important minutes are before class.
“Four at the door”
Name
Eye
Hand
Heart
Importance of Faces
Fusiform gyrus is a brain circuit dedicated to recognizing and interpreting faces.
Children interpret the world through the facial expressions of their caregivers.
Am
ou
nt
of
Tra
um
a
Time
Traumatic Event
Trauma and Early Childhood Brain Development
Adrenaline and cortisol “shower”
Cortisol affects hippocampus (memory registration center)
Repeated high levels of cortisol do permanent damage to hippocampus.
Phonemic Awareness: Building Block for
LanguageThe ability to distinguish different sounds.
Window of opportunity open widest in first three years of life.
Media interferes; “parentese”
Strong predictor of reading ability in school.
Children not in poverty hear 300% more words per day than children in poverty.
Talk, talk, talk, read, read, read!
Poverty and Brain Development
Is There a Gap?
There is a worrisome gap between low and middle SES children in many areas of cognitive development.
As measured by Bailey Infant Behavior Scales.
As measured by IQ and other cogntive aptitude tests.
As measured by academic achievement tests.
The Differences Are Significant
In a measure of intelligence (IQ) of a group of 50 low SES six-year-olds the average score was 81.
Only 20% scored at 90 or higher.
Neuroscientists Have Studied...
Prefrontal executive system (impulse, attention, flexible thinking)
Left perisylvian language system (suntax, semantics, phonology)
Working memory
Spatial reasoning
Visual cognition (pattern recognition
Biggest Gaps
The biggest gaps between low and middle SES children was in prefrontal executive function, language, memory and working memory. (Martha Farah et al U of Pennsylvania)
Also differences in spatial reasoning.
Chicken or Egg?
Does low SES environment cause cognitive deficits or do people with cognitive deficits end up in low SES?
Evidence is clear that low SES is the cause.
Twin studies.
Adoption studies.
Causes--Physical
Nutrition (considered a contributor, not cause)
Iron deficiency
Protein deficiency
Lead Exposure
Drug Abuse (especially prenatal)
Causes--Environment
300% difference between number of words heard/day between low and middle SES.
Hours of one on one picture book reading prior to kindergarten
25 hours for low SES
1,700 for middle SES
Causes--Stress
Impact of cortisol on memory
Impact of stress on learning
Stress dysregulation
Remedies
Parent education
Early childhood education
eg Headstart
Community resources
Libraries, museums etc.
Providing brain building resources eg. books, puzzles, games,
Resources
Martha Farah, University of Pennsylvania
Helen Neville, University of Washington
www.changingbrains.org
Importance of Free Play
Childhood creativity leads to adult creativity.
Free play lets the child develop language, test and try, make mistakes, adapt, create, problem solve, role-play, discover, imagine, cooperate, take turns, be flexible, meet the unpredictable, feel, risk, negotiate, plan, make-believe, and resolve conflicts..
