Nipping Future Schizophrenics

What is it that impacts the child-brain developments the most? Prior to answering that question, we'll discuss a phrase emerging from interpersonal neurobiological approaches. The phrase teaches starting from the inside. It's an impact that'll lead outward behavior. Thinking in those lines, parents must self-recognize; putting in the necessary brain helps repairing communications. Relationships are reestablished this way, with children as well. Contingent communication; however, is not all about sharing positive and joyful emotions. It is connecting the attuned responses through brain-sensed emotional triggers. A simple example would be the way a parent responding appropriately to a child (when he/she does something). Even simpler, feed when the child is signaling hunger. Don't force him/her to go to sleep. A tuned-in response; in short.

The communication mode has been noticed to have a physical impact on overall brain development. Attuned communication enables the frontal brain with prefrontal cortex getting it more. The whole thing helps it integrate with the body's deeper emotional centers in the brain itself. Those who are thinking about exposing their kids to Mozart (or any other kind of early stimulatory methods), hold back; you need to know further on contingent (or attuned, up to you) communication and its prowess to integrate.

A little layman's language here: A child's mind must achieve the required biological advancements for the mind to flourish. It's just like you cannot feed certain things before certain ages. Integration is all about oneness. An example would be joining the left and right palms together. When one moves, the other as well. Integration here helps in the development of a natural flexibility and adaptive behaviors. It's the same with the mind.

A natural flexible response is much unlike throwing a plastic smile. The mechanism involves the prefrontal cortex (the ‘manager'). It allows thought integration, feelings and memory. The ‘amygdala' is an emotional center that fires upon a stimuli and is an almond-shaped neural structure in the anterior part of the temporal lobe of the anterior portion of the brain consisting of two hemispheres; the cerebrum, which is the dominant part of the brain. Amygdala connects with the hypothalamus, the hippocampus and the cingulate gyrus. As a part of the limbic system, it plays an important role in motivation and emotional behavior. While it shouts rejection and rigidity, an integrated prefrontal cortex shall enable empathy and shall analyze in a larger context all current occurrences. The duality continues till the emotions are modulated i.e. the prefrontal cortex releases gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) to fire off GABA fibers and calming amygdala down. The process also fires mirror neurons, allowing emotional resonance to be literally felt within. Neural integration does this. And it's better than mere knee-jerk ways.

Thus, parents should understand the difference between the brain hemispheres. Language, logic, linear thinking - all that happens in the surrounding culture goes for left hemisphere while right controls conveying information to the muscles from the CNS for the nonverbal signals (e.g. eye contacts, facial expressions, vocal tones, gestures, response timing and intensity - overall body language) . For kids, the right hemisphere dominates so nonverbal communication modes work the best. It is also increasing own awareness of sensations.

Such emotional attunement seasons the brain without making amygdala fire too often and developing a habit. It's a common symptom with Schizophrenics that destroys the integrative pathways. On the contrary, putting amygdala under control help grow the integrative fiber. That's how a child and a parent reconnect after a hoo-ha. Allow the repair and healing, your children shall have the fibers more than you have grown.