I love this article because it makes clear that the brain is a self-regenerative organ and we can derive a great deal of hope from this fact. This understanding is, in fact, the basis of the successes of NeuroDevelopmental Movement®.
The article discusses repairing neuronal losses.
We are adding to this article the insight that regeneration, which, in normal infant brain generation, is prompted by the reflexes, movement, and sensory experiences that are the basis for rapid neuronal connections.
The article implies that all infants will equally restore brain tissue over time. However, it is clear from our work that the brain that gets the most stimulation will be the brain that regenerates the most quickly.
And yet, it is the preemie who is more often prevented from engaging in the full Developmental Sequence. Because of their low weight and fragility at birth, the image of fragility persists and we are likely to protect and hold that infant more than a full-term baby.
The truth is that these infants should be encouraged to move their bodies fully, to test their mettle against gravity as soon as possible. As soon as the baby can retain their own body heat (at about 5 pounds) they can be put on their tummies on a smooth surface, such as a gym mat, with no socks on, where they can begin to push tiny toes into the mat, and practice spinal strength by lifting their head. It is THIS that will support the regeneration of the brain.
This is the beginning of allowing the full Developmental Sequence to unfold. Other articles discuss the full sequence in more depth, but before reading this promising article, we want you to understand this one caveat. ~ Bette Lamont
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Infants born prematurely and with hypoxia—inadequate oxygen to the blood—are able to recover some cells, volume, and weight in the brain after oxygen supply is restored, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in Experimental Neurology.
Working with mice reared in a low–oxygen environment from 3 to 11 days after birth, the researchers found that about 30 percent of the cortical neurons were lost from the injury. But this damage was transient. The lost cortical neuron number, volume, and brain weight were all reversed during the recovery period.
The findings suggest that newly generated neurons and glial cells migrate in the cerebral cortex of the infant mouse brain. This may play a significant role in repairing neuronal losses after neonatal injury, according to lead author Flora Vaccarino, M.D., associate professor in the Yale Child Study Center and in neurobiology at Yale.
Chronic perinatal hypoxia represents a major risk factor for cognitive handicap and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet clinical data suggests that the incidence of disability decreases over childhood and adolescence. Vaccarino and her team tested for a probable mechanism of recovery.
“Remarkably, even without injury, the juvenile mouse cortex is able to generate new neurons,” said Vaccarino. “This suggests that the mammalian brain is far more plastic than previously thought and thus may be able to recover from serious brain injuries.”
Other authors on the study included Devon M. Fagel1, Yosif Ganat, John Silbereis, Timothy Ebbitt, William Stewart, Heping Zhang and Laura R. Ment, M.D.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Citation: Experimental Neurology, (Article Press).