Infant Crying and the Brain
What occurs within the infant brain during long durations of crying?
by Lynn M. Johnson
Within the developing brain of an infant, biological and chemical interactions are occuring at a phenomenal rate. Recent and continuing brain research unfolds increasing evidence that early stresses may play a major role in later-life emotional and social development.
The common involvement (in infants) of orbital, temporal, and amygdala neurons in the processing of sensory (particularly visual) information with emotional significance suggests that these areas may form part of a specialized neural system used to process social stimuli. 4
Psychohistorian Lloyd deMause explains that, "Traumas which are inescapable because of helplessness can severely damage the hippocampus, killing neurons (causing lesions). This damage is caused by the release of a cascade of cortisol, adrenaline and other stress hormones during traumatization that not only damage brain cells and impair memory but also set in motion a long-lasting disregulation of the brain's biochemistry." 5 An abundance of repeated surges of these chemicals and hormones to the brain is also believed to cause the amygdala to become desensitized to the fear-response and normal levels of serotonin to be reduced.
For example, animals that are traumatized when they are young grow up to be cowardly bullies, with less vasopressin, which regulates aggression, and low levels of serotonin, which is commonly known as a calming neurotransmitter. Low serotonin is the most important marker for violence in animals and humans, and has been correlated with high rates of homicide, suicide, arson, antisocial disorders, self-mutilation, and other disorders of aggression. 6
Additionally, "Very early maternal neglect in particular has been shown to produce an undersized orbitofrontal cortex--the brain region behind the eyes that allows one to reflect on one's emotions and to empathize with the feelings of others--resulting in such a diminished self and such a low capacity for empathy that the baby grows up literally unable to feel guilt about hurting others."7
Since recent imaging scans of brains in living human subjects show that the amygdala is the central site of fear conditioning, it is believed that this conditioning also plays a primary role in such anxiety disorders as phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar and panic disorder.8
According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), one in eight kids aged 9-17 suffers from at least one anxiety disorder each year. Despite their prevalence, these disorders often remain hidden or misdiagnosed until later complications – such as depression and substance abuse – show up in adolescence and adulthood.
Given that such extensive brain development occurs during the first years of life, it is plausible to consider that repeated trauma caused by these brain altering chemical surges during numerous and/or extended periods of unattended crying, unresolved separation anxieties and other fear-response situations, may predispose an individual to later-life impairments in emotional and social functioning.
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