forgoodness sake Understanding and Responding to Challenging and Aggressive Behaviour Dr. Jean Clinton Lois Saunders

S. Suomi05-042

Non Human Primate Development Poor Mothering First 6 Months of Life Increased anxiety and depression as adults Excessive alcohol consumption Impulse aggression and violent behaviour Females tend to be poor mothers Highest risk genetically predisposed to high cortisol levels during development

Poorly Nurtured Rhesus Monkey Infants Biological Changes High cortisol levels to mild stress Chronic deficits in serotonin metabolism Disrupted circadian rhythms for cortisol

Adrenal Gland Cycle of Stress Cortex AmygdalaLocus Coeruleus Brain Stem Glucocortocoids (Cortisol) Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Norepinephrine

Emotional Stimulus PIT Cortisol CRF ACTH AmygdalaHippocampus Adrenal Cortex Hypothalamus PVN LeDoux, Synaptic Self

Hypothalamus Vasopressin Pituitary Gland Blood Vessel Cortisol Kidney Adrenal Gland Cortisol CRH ACTH Paraventricular Nucleus Stress Pathway

Limbic HPA Pathway - Stress Cortisol – Over Production Behaviour, depression, diabetes, malnutrition, cardiovascular disease, memory, immune system, drug and alcohol addiction Cortisol – Under Production Chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, immune system (autoimmune disorders) rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, asthma

Individual differences in stress reactivity of the adult are determined by maternal behaviour during infancy HIGH LG LOW LG Development of Stress Reactivity Modest Stress Reactivity Reduced Risk for Disease Increased Stress Reactivity Increased Risk for Heart Disease, Type II Diabetes, Alcoholism, Affective Disorders, Brain Aging, etc. M. Szyf05-056

The Fear Response Visual Cortex Visual Thalamus Amygdala Scientific American The Hidden Mind, 2002, Volume 12, Number 1

Cortisol can be bad for the brain Hippocampus high sterol levels cause loss of dendrites and cell death Frontal brain attention deficits

Months of Orphanage Rearing Log10 Salivary Cortisol *linear trendline Evening Cortisol Levels Increase with Months of Orphanage Rearing *

Change in Salivary Cortisol LOW HIGH Secure Attachment Buffers Cortisol Response to Threatening Events Secure Attachment Insecure Attachment The Founders’ Network Fearful Responses to Stimuli Gunnar (1996)

Low SES Medium SES High SES Development and Cortisol Levels Age Salivary Cortisol (ug/dl)

Children in Poorer Quality Childcare Show Rises in Cortisol Over the Day Quality of Childcare Rise in Cortisol Dettling (2000)

Daycare Quality & Cortisol Levels (Individual Needs) AM PM Averaged Cortisol (log10) Time of Sampling High Quality Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Sims et al

Daycare Quality & Cortisol Levels (Treat Equitably) AM PM Averaged Cortisol (log10) Time of Sampling High Quality Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Sims et al

AMNoonPM Cortisol Levels in Romanian Adopted Children 6 Years Post Adoption Adopted < 4 months in orphanage Adopted > 8 months in orphanage Canadian Control

Dr Megan Gunnar Social Relationships control cortisol levels in infants and young children. Social Relationships control cortisol levels in infants and young children. Children with secure attachments to their caregivers show stable cortisol levels. Children with secure attachments to their caregivers show stable cortisol levels. The key ingredient to buffering stress is sensitive, responsive, individualized care. The key ingredient to buffering stress is sensitive, responsive, individualized care. It’s not separation from parents, but the experience in child care that triggers their stress responses. It’s not separation from parents, but the experience in child care that triggers their stress responses.

“ Research on Quality Research on Quality  Treating children with respect  Developing relationships with families  Ensuring programmes focus on children feeling safe Hutchins and SIMS 2000

Research on Quality   Meeting the individual needs of children   Ensuring staff remain in their positions long enough to be able to develop and maintain relationships with children “ All of these dimensions of quality are fundamental to developing and maintaining strong relationships between caregivers and children “(Hutchins & Sims, 2000).

Perry Preschool Project $17 saved for every $1 invested

Sensing pathways – set in early life Vision Hearing Touch HPA Pathway (stress) – set in early life (HPA-Immune Pathway) Hippocampus - Memory Plasticity sustained throughout life Affected by HPA Pathway Summary: Brain Plasticity