Early Brain Stimulation Linked With Cortex Development
Early Brain Stimulation Linked With Cortex Development
Recent research shows that children exposed to educational toys and books will have more developed brain functions and a more developed cortex as they grow up.
The research shows that increased stimulation when a child is around the age of four will have a huge impact on language and cognition parts of the brain over time.
Martha Farah director of the Center for Neuroscience and Society at Pennsylvania University used data like home life and brain scans from 64 participants.
The study lasted for close to 20 years and the results were presented at the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans.
The research showed that many parts of the cortex have developed better in children who were cognitively stimulated at the age of four.
The participants of the study have been followed since they were four years old with visits to their homes to keep track of essential details like the number of musical instruments, educational toys and of books they had.
Data was also collected from parents, with details like support and nurturance being a key element in determining the reasons behind the increased cognitive functions later in life. Actually the role of the parent was crucial in determining the correct stimulation and the proper way of supporting gains during the entire formative part.
The study showed that the parental nurturance played a small role in the development of the brain, with the biggest factor that affected evolution being early cognitive stimulation. One of the most important benefits of the study is that it shows the existence of a special period early in a child’s life when brain development is crucial.
With the arrival of adolescence and then maturity, cells in the cortex region of the brain, a small layer of matter on the outside of the brain, tend to thin out, with unnecessary cells being destroyed.
Martha Farah’s study showed that the participants of the study had thinner more developed cortexes in comparison to normal children their age.
With all parts of the cortex being affected in different proportions, the most affected region seemed to be the lateral left temporal cortex, located behind the ear. That part of the brain is generally responsible for understanding language and general knowledge of the world.
Language tests conducted on the participants as they reached ages between 16 and 19 coupled with brain scans showed that the thinner the cortex the better they were when it came to language astuteness.
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