Experience-based Brain Development in the Early Years

1
Experience-based Brain Development in the Early
Years Effects on Health, Learning and Behaviour
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience
Imaging Centre
Lethbridge, Alberta
By J. Fraser Mustard Founding President, CIAR
October 6, 2006
2
03-049
The Evolutionary History of
Homo Sapiens
200, 000 Years
10, 000 Years Agricultural Revolution --
Civilization Experiments
3000 to 4000 Years Written Language
Alphabet
600 Years Books
50 Years Electronic Media
3
01-002
The Growth of the World Population and
6
Some Major Events in the History of Technology
?

Exponential
Knowledge
and
4
Technology
Growth
Population (x 109)

2
Beginning of
Industrial
Revolution
Printing
1st Agricultural
Press

Revolution
9BC


2AD
0
3BC
1BC
5BC
1AD
Year (x 103)
Robert W. Fogel. Economic Growth, Population
Theory, and Physiology, April 1994
4
05-144
21st Century
Population growth, demographics, and
migration Exponential growth in knowledge and
technology Local, national, and international
governance Climate change and resource
constraints Building and sustaining
pluralistic, tolerant, prosperous, non-violent,
democratic societies
5
00-068
Integrated ECD Programs
Equality
Learning
Health
Behavior
Social Economic
Development
6
03-080
Experience-Based Brain Development in the early
years of life sets neurological and biological
pathways that affect throughout life
Health
Learning
Behaviour
7
00-070
Consilience E.O. Wilson The Unity of Knowledge
The linking of natural science and social science
8
Unity of Knowledge The Convergence of Natural
and Human Science New York Academy of Sciences,
2001
9
Integration of Natural and Social Sciences
Harlow Kandel
Wilson Kolb
Barker Heckman
10
03-131
NEUROSCIENCE
11
04-039
Two Neurons
RECIPIENT NEURON
Axon
Synapse
SIGNAL-SENDING NEURON
Dendrite
12
03-062
How do social
experiences
get under the skin?
Ron Barr
13
04-212
Sound Vision Smell
Touch Proprioception Taste
Neal Halfon
14
03-078
Experience and Brain Development
Stimuli in early life switch on genetic pathways
that differentiate neuron function critical and
sensitive periods.
Stimuli affect the formation of the connections
(synapses) among the billions of neurons
(sensitive periods).
The brain pathways that affect literacy,
behaviour, and health form early.
From studies in humans, monkeys and rats
15
Early Experience and the Brain Freud the
imprints are memories Meaney and Szyf the way
genes work
16
04-144
Epigenetics and Brain Plasticity
Experience and methylation of DNA Imprints
environmental experiences on the fixed
genome Maternal behaviour affects DNA
methylation Can be transmitted to offspring
17
03-063
HEALTH
18
00-069
Health Problems Related
to Early Life
Coronary Heart Disease Non-insulin Dependent
Diabetes Obesity Blood Pressure Aging and
Memory Loss Mental Health (depression)
19
03-089
Serotonin Gene, Experience, and Depression Age 26
Depression Risk
.70
SS
S Short Allele L Long Allele
.50
SL
LL
.30
No Abuse
Moderate Abuse
Severe Abuse
Early Childhood
A. Caspi, Science, 18 July 2003, Vol 301.
20
03-065
BEHAVIOUR
21
02-008
Maltreatment at an early age can
have enduring negative effects on
a child's brain development and
function.
Martin Teicher
Scientific American, 2002
22
02-011
"The aftermath can appear as
depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or
post-traumatic stress - or as aggression,
impulsiveness, delinquency, hyperactivity
or substance abuse."
Martin Teicher
Scientific American, 2002
23
02-041
Substance Abuse and Childhood Abuse
Odds Ratios for Drug
and Alcohol Use
Exposure to
Drugs
Alcohol
Child Abuse

0 1.0 1.0
1 2.7 2.0
2 2.9 4.0
3 3.6 4.9

4 4.7 7.4
Scale 0 none

4 intense
24
03-115
LITERACY
25
02-061
Document Literacy
1994 1998, Ages 16 to 65
Level 1 and 2 Level 4 and 5

Sweden
23
34.0
Canada
42
23.0
Australia
43
17.0
United States
48
18.0
Chile
85
3.0
Mexico
84
1.7
OECD
26
05-178
Literacy Levels for the Total Population USA
Prose
Document
Quantitative
Percent
Level
NALS, p. 17, 2002
27
05-173
Literacy Levels by Physical, Mental or Other
Health Conditions USA (Quantitative)
Health Problems
Mental or Emotional Problems
Long-term Illness
Percent
Level
NALS, p. 44, 2002
28
05-115
Romanian Adoption Project B.C. Scores at 10.5
Years
CB EA
LA IQ 108 99 85 Language
Score 106 99 88 Behaviour 13 9 43 CB
- Canadian Born EA - Early Adopted (within 4
months) LA - Late Adopted (8 months or
later)
L. Le Mare
29
04-153
Abecedarian Study Reading
Effect Size
Primary Grades
Preschool
Preschool Primary Grades
1.2
0.8
0.4
0
Age 8
Age 12
Age 15
Age 21
Age at Testing
30
00-042
360
Sociocultural
Gradients for
Cuba
Language
320
Scores
By Country
Argentina
Chile
280
Brazil
Language Score
Colombia
Mexico
240
200
1
4
8
12
16
Parents' Education (Years)
31
05-066
Grade 3 Language Scores
Argentina _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Brazil _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Chile _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Cuba _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Mexico _ _ _ _ _ _ _
100
250
300
350
400
150
200
UNESCO, 1998
32
02-056
Policies to Foster Human Capital
"We cannot afford to postpone investing in
children until they become adults nor can we
wait until they reach school - a time when it
may be too late to intervene."
Heckman, J., 2001
(Nobel Prize Economics, 2000)
33
03-074
Rates of Return to Human Development Investment
Across all Ages
8
6
Pre-school Programs
Return Per Invested
School
4
R
Job Training
2
Pre- School
School
Post School
0
6
18
Age
Carneiro, Heckman, Human Capital Policy, 2003
34
Neuroscience - Human Development
History Evolution
Psychology
Health Sciences
Social Work
Humanities
Economics Business
35
01-039
www.founders.net
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References
References

• From Early Child Development to Human
  Development. Editor Mary Eming Young, World
  Bank, Washington, 2000.
• Synaptic Self How Our Brains Become Who We Are.
  Joseph LeDoux, Viking Penguin, New York, 2003.
• The End of Stress As We Know It. Bruce McEwen,
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• Developmental Health and the Wealth of Nations.
  Editors Daniel P. Keating, Clyde Hertzman, The
  Guilford Press, New York, 1999.
• From Neurons to Neighborhoods. The Science of
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  Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, National
  Academy Press, Washington, 2000.
• Early Years Study, Final Report Reversing the
  Real Brain Drain. Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain and
  J. Fraser Mustard, Publications Ontario,
  Toronto,1999.

37

• 7. Vulnerable Children. Editor J. Douglas
  Willms, University of Alberta Press, Edmonton,
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• 8. Readiness to Learn at School. Magdalena
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  Editors Robert G. Evans et al, Aldine De
  Gruyter, New York, 1994.
• The Early Years Study Three Years Later. Hon.
  Margaret Norrie McCain and J. Fraser Mustard, The
  Founders Network, 2002.
• Choice for parents, the best start for children
  a ten year strategy for childcare. Dept. for
  Education and Skills, HM Treasury.
  www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. 2004.
• 12. Behaviour (Affect), Literacy, and Early Child
  Development. J. Fraser Mustard. Paper prepared
  for the 5th International Encounter of Early
  Childhood. Monterrey, Mexico. 2005.

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13. Early Child Development and Experience-based
Brain Development Implications for the
Continuing Experiments in Civilization. J. Fraser
Mustard. World Bank. Washington. (in press) 14.
What the EDI Is (Not). Hillel Goelman and Clyde
Hertzman. 2004. www.earlylearning.ubc.ca 15. The
Balance Within. Esther Sternberg. W.H. Freeman.
New York. 2000.