Scarred for life?

• Autores: Marla B. Sokolowski, W Thomas Boyce, Bruce S McEwen
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2901, 2013, págs. 28-30
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Childhood as an idea may have its origins in the 18th century, when philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau described it as a brief period of sanctuary before the hardships of adult life. Before then, art had been inline with the spirit of the times, depicting children as little adults. Historically, too, they can track the change in attitudes. Enforced child labor gradually became unacceptable. Even now, however, children are exposed early in life to disadvantage, distress, repeated neglect and abuse, leading to poorer health, learning and social functioning. To help those who will face such adverse conditions, and to find out why responses to these stresses are so different, they need to know much more about how experiences of childhood adversity affect cellular pathways and translate into the molecular and genetic changes that result in biological effects on development and health. Here, Sokolowski et al talk about early adversity in childhood cause biological changes.