Almost two decades ago, researchers and policy makers convened at the White House to explore whether neuroscience could hold policy implications for child development initiatives. Since then, research in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience has highlighted the connection between early behavioral milestones and neural development. As a child grows—from inside the womb through the first few years of life—massive changes take place in the connectivity and plasticity of the brain. The future success of a child is dependent upon these earliest stages of brain development.
The Fifth Annual Aspen Brain Forum, Shaping the Developing Brain: Prenatal through Early Childhood, focused on developmental brain research and what it can tell us about designing interventions to improve outcomes for at-risk children. It looked at typical and atypical development of human learning, memory, emotion, and social behavior, as well as socioeconomic, family, and nutritional factors that can affect brain and behavior.
The conference also explored how adverse early childhood experiences produce lasting effects on the brain and impact how children will respond to adversity, interact with peers, and succeed in school and later life. It highlighted interventions, applied research, and government policy with the potential to enhance brain development and childhood outcomes. Held at the Academy from November 11–13, 2014, the conference was presented by the Aspen Brain Forum Foundation, Science Translational Medicine, and the New York Academy of Sciences.
[For more go to http://www.nyas.org/Publicatio...9b-8849-e9ff7ee91e43]
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