Hebbian learning is a biologically plausible and ecologically valid learning mechanism. In Hebbian learning, "units that fire together, wire together". Such learning may occur at the neural level in terms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Many features of Hebbian learning are relevant to developmental theorizing,…

A growing body of science shows the critical effects of an extreme and sustained stressful environment for children on their developing brain architecture and the expression of genes in later life. Toxic stress can shift the brain into surviving in a way that's more rigid and less adaptive. For example, as a result of biologically altered brain…

There are numerous and complex events taking place during brain maturation that provide the biologic underpinnings of learning and behavior. (MM)

Attempts to characterize and contrast aspects of functional organization of neuropsychological systems carrying out primary language acquisition and two types of nonprimary language acquisition: secondary language acquisition and foreign language learning. There appears an intrinsic neurofunctional basis for the greater facility of young children…

The first of a series of articles on the human brain focuses on the cyclic nature of brain development. Educational and social issues evolving from current discoveries about the brain are also discussed. (CJ)

Recent research findings show that experiences alter the anatomical structure of the brain, that the effects of experience on the brain differ at different ages and between males and females, and that brain development is not complete until about age 18. (SV)

The author notes that teachers who continually require students to sit still and stop talking apparently prefer to teach a grove of trees rather than a classroom full of students. School environments should be designed to enhance the development of student brains -- and student brains are about movement, not motionless stagnation. 21st century…

This report combines neuroscience, child development research, and program evaluation data to better inform policymakers' decisions about investing in and supporting existing early childhood programs. Core child development concepts highlight the importance of early experiences on the development of brain architecture and, in turn, future…

Our facial expressions give others the opportunity to access our feelings, and constitute an important nonverbal tool for communication. Many recent studies have investigated emotional perception in adults, and our knowledge of neural processes involved in emotions is increasingly precise. Young children also use faces to express their internal…

Research shows that children of about 10 years can remember photographs of faces upside down almost as well as those shown upright and are easily fooled by simple disguises. This ability to encode orientation-specific configurations of a face may reflect maturational changes in the right cerebral hemisphere. (MLH)

A quantitative model of speech development is proposed based on observations of normal hearing and congenitally deaf children. Nonlinear controls used during the development of suprasegmental and segmental aspects of speech are identified. Linguistic components of speech are ignored. The importance of the associative cortex in speech-motor control…

Neonatal neurobehavioral assessments describe a newborn's spontaneous behavioural repertoire and observable responses to environmental stimuli. Infant developmental assessments document the range of developmental skills that emerge and develop over the first years of life. This review highlights two neonatal assessments (Einstein Neonatal…

It is the belief of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child that better public understanding of the rapidly growing science of early childhood and early brain development can provide a powerful impetus for the design and implementation of policies and programs that could make a significant difference in the lives of all children.…

Background: Longitudinal pediatric neuroimaging studies have demonstrated increasing volumes of white matter and regionally-specific inverted U shaped developmental trajectories of gray matter volumes during childhood and adolescence. Studies of monozygotic and dyzygotic twins during this developmental period allow exploration of genetic and…

Cognitive impairment has long been associated with the natural history of HIV among vertically infected children. In children, HIV may have a direct or indirect impact on the developing brain, may lead to global or highly specific consequences, and may be responsible for minor cognitive consequences or, conversely, long-term and severe disability.…