Children Under Stress: Vulnerability and Resiliency in the Developing Brain

BJ Casey, Bruce McEwen, The Rockefeller University: Some stress is normal in the lives of children and adolescents. But how much stress is too much? Psychologists have long recognized the adverse effects of excessive and unavoidable stress on young peoples' cognitive and emotional development. More recently, scientists have used research tools such as brain imaging to describe the effects of stress in neurobiological terms. New studies of the brain, nervous system, and neuroendocrine pathways are providing clinically relevant information about the connections between stress and behavior in pre-adulthood. At the fall 2007 Parents & Science program, BJ CASEY and BRUCE MCEWEN, two distinguished neurobiologists, discussed the implications of new research in this field. Topics including: normal changes that occur in the brain from childhood through adolescence, the relationship between stress and behaviors such as risktaking and substance abuse, and the influence of genetic predisposition, gender differences, socioeconomic status, and numerous other inborn and external factors on human development. October 17, 2007