Social neglect of children in institutions may profoundly affect a developmental stage that takes place in the brain during mid-childhood to adolescence, suggests new research in Science Advances.
The evidence, from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, also shows that children placed in foster care are comparatively less affected, supporting the value of this intervention as an alternate to institutionalization. (emphasis added)
“The brain is our organ of behavior, emotions, and cognition. If we want healthy adolescents, they need healthy brains,” said Margaret Sheridan, first and corresponding author of the study and director of the Child Imaging Research on Cognition and Life Experiences Lab (CIRCLE Lab) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To read more about the Bucharest Early Intervention Project see the following link: <https://www.bucharestearlyinterventionproject.org/>
Also: Circle Lab: <https://circlelab.unc.edu/>
Also: Early deprivation alters structural brain development from middle childhood to adolescence: <https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn4316>
<https://www.aaas.org/news/social-neglect-during-institutional-care-may-alter-childrens-brain-development>
