Tiziana Cotrufo has a PhD in Neurobiology from the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and since 2007 has been a teacher at the University of Barcelona. She has a whole career dedicated to the study of the complex and fascinating development of the brain, a development that in the first three years of life the doctor compares to a Big Bang with the difference that “the explosion of matter in the child's brain leads to It takes place in an orderly, temporally controlled, and exquisitely regulated way not only by genes, but also by the experiences and stimuli we receive. ” Despite this dizzying expansion, the author of In the Child's Mind (Shackleton books) recalls, quoting Professor Lamberto Maffei, that "the brain is a slow machine whose slowness is the essential basis of cognitive abilities." In their development, children's brains need time: to think, to rest, to get bored. Yes, to get bored. “Many parents are worried when they hear their children say they are bored and sometimes they don't even allow it, putting tablets or smartphones in their hands. Blessed boredom, this is an opportunity for neurons to actively work! ”Says Cotrufo.
QUESTION. I was very surprised by a fact that the book provides: that the brain quadruples its dimensions during the first three years of life and at six it already has 90% of the volume that it will have in adulthood. The evolution of the child's brain is a kind of Big Bang, right?
REPLY. Without a doubt, the development of the embryo and, of course, the brain, is an "explosion of matter." Of course, unlike the Big Bang, whose consequences occurred almost by chance, the explosion of matter in the child's brain is carried out in an orderly, temporarily controlled and exquisitely regulated not only by genes, but also by experiences and the stimuli we receive.
MORE INFORMATION
Educate in empathy to reduce violence and increase happiness- How much should children sleep?
Q. This expansive explosion, knowing that children's brains are very plastic, makes many parents go crazy trying to get their children to learn as much as possible in those first years of life, as if their entire existence would depend of that.
A. In the first three years of life, the development of the nervous system involves a huge increase in neurons; this serves to have the necessary substrate ready as soon as possible to fine-tune all the neural connections that will improve the child's cognitive, sensory and motor skills. But to fine-tune them, you have to slow down and learn from what is happening around you, a slow process that lasts until adolescence, of course, but that remains in adulthood.
P. In the child's mind , precisely, he quotes the book by Professor Lamberto Maffei, Praise of slowness , to explain that "the brain is a slow machine whose slowness is the essential basis of cognitive abilities." However, today we live in a fast-paced world in which it seems that we always lack time.
A. We touch on a very sensitive subject. The "necessary" time has a very important value in the development of the brain and its connections. The child facing a problem or decision must have time to think about possible solutions or consequences. Simply this process of taking time to reflect on possible scenarios is making you learn and form important synapses. In the same way, time to sleep is essential to consolidate memories and notions learned as well as to eliminate metabolic waste and toxins. And let's not forget about the time to get bored: many parents are worried when they hear their children say they are bored and sometimes they don't even allow it, putting tablets or smartphones in their hands. Blessed boredom, it is an occasion for neurons to actively work!
P. Does it make sense then that concern and the rush of fathers and mothers for their children to learn?
A. It makes sense that we want children to learn. The problem lies in confining learning to the first 3 years of life, in thinking that the more activities they do, the more their brains will learn, and in exclusively considering training activities. It makes sense that in the first three years we are by and for the children, that we take care of them and pay attention and time: these are already activities that stimulate them a lot and without which their existence would surely be affected. The rest? Real common sense: reading books together, listening to music, walking, picking up leaves in the fall, or touching the sand.
P. On the last page of the book, precisely, he gives an advice to these parents: “remember that children really have a multitude of resources. Let's trust them a little more! ” Do you think that with all the information that we increasingly have at our disposal, parents, wanting to give the best development to our children, we live the experience with too much anguish?
R. Of course. Without wanting to generalize, it is true that parents tend to be distressed not only by the amount of information that comes to us, but also by what we see other parents doing with their children. That if they play a sport, that if they play an instrument, they learn one or more languages, they practice robotics, painting, crafts, theater, computers, etc. Obviously, you cannot do everything because with anguish and stress you learn considerably less. In addition, we must be careful that these activities lead to gratification at some point. However, it is important to give children more freedom. They have a multitude of resources! Let's think about when they start to crawl: nobody teaches them, but they learn on their own that, when their legs are not yet holding them, to achieve what they want they must find a strategy within their reach.
Maternal and paternal love as food for brain development
Q. To what extent can circumstances and the environment influence our brain?
A. We already know that the environment influences the development of our brains. What is relatively new is the discovery that environmental factors such as lived experiences, stimuli received or even food can modify the expression of genes present in the DNA of our neurons. This means that we can pass these changes on to our offspring because they can be inherited. In other words, if a grandfather has been subjected to epigenetic factors that have improved his learning ability and memory, it is very possible that his son and grandson maintain these skills without having been in contact with a similar environment.
P. Explain how maternal care and exposure to an environment enriched with stimuli can significantly improve the learning and memory capacity of sons and daughters through these epigenetic mechanisms. "Without emotion there is no learning," say education experts. No maternal / paternal love either, I understand.
A. It is enough to refer to the effects of abandonment of newborn children to have no doubt about it. Many research teams have studied the effects of socio-emotional deprivation on orphaned children who have lived in foster care. The data indicates improper functioning of the limbic structures, the cortex, the hippocampus and the amygdala, all regions that somehow regulate emotions. In other words, the cortex of abandoned children would not have formed an optimal wiring with the limbic system. Without this interaction it is more difficult to learn and find solutions to problems. In their early years children need almost only the affection of their parents, this generates relationships, emotions and an environment that favors a normal development of the brain with optimal stimulation, but never excessive.
Q. Speaking of emotions: you affirm that when we talk about acquiring abilities we usually think about psychomotor skills or language learning. However, he says, these would be seriously affected if social skills and emotions are not acquired. Why are these so important?
A. There is very significant evidence in this regard. Individuals can keep intact their logical abilities and acquired knowledge, but without social emotions (compassion, envy, admiration, empathy, embarrassment) the ability to make decisions and learn from mistakes and successes is impaired. It is during the first years of life when the little ones learn to foresee the expectations of the parents first, and then of teachers, coaches and educators: this favors the awareness of their own emotions, self-control and impulses.
Q. Earlier we mentioned the importance of exposure to an environment enriched with stimuli for brain development. What is really considered an enriched environment?
A. I was expecting this question! The term neuroscience-enriched environment was first used in the mid-20th century by Donald Hebb in reference to an experimental model. Anecdotally, Hebb reported that the rats he took home as pets showed cognitive improvement over their sisters who remained in the laboratory. For experimentation, the enriched environment is nothing other than a much larger cage than normal, which has a sufficient number of animals for them to interact socially, games of all kinds, tunnels and houses of various colors, and the place Where food is left varies daily. In addition, it is essential that there is a wheel where animals can do physical exercise. Mice reared in an enriched environment obtain significantly better results in learning and memory tests and also in reactions to emotions and stress.
Q. In other words, an enriched environment has a lot of freedom and a healthy lifestyle.
A. If you look at the enriched environment of the mice, none of the individual factors is more relevant than the other, but the set of basic stimuli (game, sport, healthy food and social interaction and the possibility of freely choosing the activity) constitutes true wealth. Why should we be surprised that living in conditions where we feel freer and happier also helps us develop our brains better as children and keep them active as adults?
You can follow De mamas & de papas on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe here to the Newsletter.