Best Investment for the Future: Experience Based Brain Development- The Effects on Health, Learning and Behaviour.

Although it has been long recognised that development in the early period of life has a major effect on learning, behaviour and health for most mammals, including primates, our understanding of the biological pathways has only recently become understood.  One of the least understood relationships has been how brain development in the early years influences physical and mental health in the later stages of life.  Among the recognised effects on health are the influences on risks for mental health problems, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, blood pressure, and other conditions.  Poor early childhood development affects key aspects of brain development including the stress pathway (hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis - HPA axis), which affects all body tissues during life including the immune system, and brain development with effects on cognition and behaviour.  As well, during this early period when brain development is most plastic, the sensing pathways are developing which also affects cognition and behaviour.

In view of this evidence, it is not surprising that epidemiological studies of populations show a strong correlation between literacy and health and literacy and behaviour.  One of the reasons for this is that many of the brain pathways are connected with each other and are most plastic in terms of development during the early years of life.  The signals the brain receives during this period from internal or external sensing pathways switch on the genetic components in the appropriate parts of the brain setting the function of the neurons in the different regions of the brain.  This evidence has moved the nature nurture debate to one of dynamic interaction in which the most sensitive period is in early life.

Among the external sensing pathways that are recognised to be important during this early period of development are touch (influence on attachment and the HPA pathway), vision, and sound.  The development of the brain sensing pathways in early life is critical for the development of verbal skills and language and the development of cognition, which follows the development of the sensing pathways.

There is now a growing body of evidence that brain development in the early years influences performance in the formal school system and the level of education attained.  Although there is some evidence the special programmes for children who have had a poor start can help some overcome the odds, the gains are never what could be achieved if the children had a high quality early period of development.  All of this evidence indicates that programmes that enhance early childhood development are a fundamental investment to ensure a healthy, competent population that can cope with and contribute to the changes societies face today.  In the world of investment, investing in quality early childhood development and parenting programmes is a "hard" investment, as important to society as investments in bridges, power stations and dams.