User:Lpozadas/sandbox

From a neurobiological perspective, during the early formation of the brain, first of the brain stem, followed by the diencephalon, limbic system, and cortex, research indicates a caregiver’s negative behaviors and responses impact the brain development of an infant or young child. In particular, attachment patterns that are established though interactions between the caregiver and the infant or young child’s developing limbic system, which is responsible for regulating physical needs such as hunger and thirst, experiencing and expressing emotion, and desire for social and emotional contact, are considered determinants for the neural connections, or “mental template” that are established for social connections and relationships with others and requires significant stimuli during the first several months and years of life.

The stimulation of two major neural networks in particular are identified as important in attachment. One is sensory perception, which is associated with caregiver interactions, such as the sight of a face, voice, touch, and scent. The other are neural networks associated with “pleasure,” which are activated when an infant or young child’s needs are being met, through relief of distress, attention, and play. These two connections, when they occur frequently and simultaneously, create an association of pleasure with human interaction and over time strengthen the connection between these neural pathways. In environments where children suffer from abuse or neglect, these neural connections remain underdeveloped and/or create or maintain aberrant neural pathways, which can result in symptoms and behaviors under the DSM-IV-TR criteria of RAD. Furthermore, research indicates that theses attachment patterns are most deeply imprinted on the brain during specific times of life, or “sensitive periods,” generally before three years of age.