Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mother's love affects brain growth in babies

This is an interesting article that suggests  nuturing a child early in life may help him or her develop a larger hippocampus, the brain region important for learning, memory and stress responses.


A new study shows Brain images have now revealed that a mother’s love physically affects the volume of her child’s hippocampus. 


In the study, children of nurturing mothers had hippocampal volumes 10 percent larger than children whose mothers were not as nurturing. Research has suggested a link between a larger hippocampus and better memory.


Though 95 percent of the parents in the study were the children’s biological mothers, the researchers say that the effects of nurturing on the brain are likely to be the same for any primary caregiver. [Why Gay Parents May Be the Best Parents]


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