How Does Child Abuse Affect The Brain
Taylor Beavers
ENC1101
Mr. Bradley
February 9, 2016
Child Abuse vs. The Brain
When children are abused it changes their lives. The three main types of Child abuse are physical, emotional, and sexual. As children grow the experiences from their environments around them are critical to future development. Early in life the brain has plasticity. This allows many windows of opportunity for the brain to thrive. Child abuse has the greatest impact on brain development in children. If hindered due to abuse or neglect, the brain can be altered and drastically affect the child's adulthood.
The human brain is a complex structure. From the first months of life the fetus creates neurons or specific cells that solely form the brain. These cells specialize …show more content…
Without this healthy development a child will respond to a positive nurturing environment just as well as they would to a negative one. Child abuse will greatly alter the way a child’s brain develops, thinks, and responds to certain situations. Verbal, physical, and sexual abuse specifically target regions of the brain that deal with those experiences. According to Martin H. Teicher, “Maltreatment is associated with reliable morphological alterations in interior cingulate, dorsal lateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex, corpus callosum and adult hippocampus.” All specific regions affected by child abuse and its stress (Teicher …show more content…
The thinning protects a child from a negative sensory experience such as abuse. Even though thinning is protection for the brain it can also alter overall development and behavioral issues in a child’s future. Condensing of brain volume is due to child abuse that allows sensory experiences to develop improperly. Other altercations take place due to the thinning in a child’s brain. Children who have been abused may be at a higher risk of illness such as depression, PTSD, and addictions. (Miyazaki)
Another example of altercation in the brain is in a section called the hippocampus. This section is critical for learning and memory. Stress can hinder the hippocampus to control cortisol levels and keep them normal after a stressful situation has taken place. (Carey) Due to the effect of stress from abuse some of a child’s brain cells can actually die off. This is dangerous to the well-being of the child especially if stress continues. When stress levels remain on high alert synapses start to make connections to situations that may not even be
ENC1101
Mr. Bradley
February 9, 2016
Child Abuse vs. The Brain
When children are abused it changes their lives. The three main types of Child abuse are physical, emotional, and sexual. As children grow the experiences from their environments around them are critical to future development. Early in life the brain has plasticity. This allows many windows of opportunity for the brain to thrive. Child abuse has the greatest impact on brain development in children. If hindered due to abuse or neglect, the brain can be altered and drastically affect the child's adulthood.
The human brain is a complex structure. From the first months of life the fetus creates neurons or specific cells that solely form the brain. These cells specialize …show more content…
Without this healthy development a child will respond to a positive nurturing environment just as well as they would to a negative one. Child abuse will greatly alter the way a child’s brain develops, thinks, and responds to certain situations. Verbal, physical, and sexual abuse specifically target regions of the brain that deal with those experiences. According to Martin H. Teicher, “Maltreatment is associated with reliable morphological alterations in interior cingulate, dorsal lateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex, corpus callosum and adult hippocampus.” All specific regions affected by child abuse and its stress (Teicher …show more content…
The thinning protects a child from a negative sensory experience such as abuse. Even though thinning is protection for the brain it can also alter overall development and behavioral issues in a child’s future. Condensing of brain volume is due to child abuse that allows sensory experiences to develop improperly. Other altercations take place due to the thinning in a child’s brain. Children who have been abused may be at a higher risk of illness such as depression, PTSD, and addictions. (Miyazaki)
Another example of altercation in the brain is in a section called the hippocampus. This section is critical for learning and memory. Stress can hinder the hippocampus to control cortisol levels and keep them normal after a stressful situation has taken place. (Carey) Due to the effect of stress from abuse some of a child’s brain cells can actually die off. This is dangerous to the well-being of the child especially if stress continues. When stress levels remain on high alert synapses start to make connections to situations that may not even be