Birthday Party Topics of Conversation.

My Uncle called again.

And so I researched some appropriate birthday party talking points:


Generally the left hemisphere of the brain is the site of language, motor activity on the right side of the body, and logical thought based on language. The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for motor activity on the left side of the body, context perceptions, and holistic perception. The orbito-frontal cortex (the part of the brain directly behind the eyes) is responsible for integrating emotional responses generated in the limbic system with higher cognitive functions, such as planning and language, in the cerebral cortex’s prefrontal lobes. The left orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory creation while the right orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory retrieval. Healthy functioning requires an integrated right and left hemisphere. A substantial number of synaptic connections among brain cells develop during the first year of life. An integrated brain requires connections between the hemispheres by the corpus callosum. Abused and neglected children have smaller corpus callosum than non-abused children. Abused and neglected children have poorly integrated cerebral hemispheres. This poor integration of hemispheres and underdevelopment of the orbitofrontal cortex is the basis for such symptoms as difficulty regulating emotion, lack of cause-effect thinking, inability to accurately recognize emotions in others, inability of the child to articulate the child’s own emotions, an incoherent sense of self and autobiographical history, and a lack of conscience.




It has long been known that childhood abuse, neglect, or the loss of a parent are associated with adult psychiatric disorders. Now, researchers are discovering how early experiences affect a person's psychological and physical health. The June issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter reports that childhood trauma and loss can cause prolonged hypersensitivity to stress by upsetting the brain's regulation of stress responses.

Researchers are looking for ways to prevent and reverse the harm. Rat pups from a genetically anxious strain respond much better to stress as adults if they are adopted by unusually attentive foster mothers. In a strain of rats sensitive to alcohol, the risk of addiction is increased by early separation from their mothers. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Prozac and others) may help, says the Harvard Mental Health Letter; other promising drugs include mifepristone (RU-486) and propranolol (Inderal). For post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological treatment can retrain the brain's response to traumatic memories.

Choice of treatment may depend on the nature of the childhood experience. Mistreatment does not cause the same brain changes in everyone. Individual genetic characteristics are important. The kind of stress-parental loss, neglect, or abuse-may also make a difference.



How does nonverbal communication in infancy become an emotional template in adult love relationships?
An infant is completely dependent on nonverbal emotional means to communicate and satisfy its needs. This nonverbal, nonintellectual sensory experience is the life-sustaining heart and soul of our first love relationship and continues to play a vital role in all our love relationships.
Verbal skills surface some time after the second year, but the newer form of communication doesn't replace the older. The template for communication in love relationships remains nonverbal and emotionally based.
This nonverbal first communication continues to impact us in later relationships by affecting our:
0. trust in others – belief that others will respond to our needs
0. sense of self – brought into focus by dyadic emotional exchanges
0. self image – self confidence strengthened by ability to successfully communicate emotional needs
0. relation to the environment – belief that the world is supportive and friendly
0. distinguishing self from non-self – brought into perspective by success of dyadic emotional communication
0. empathy – able to comprehend the emotional experience of others
moral development – if my feelings matter, other people’s feelings matter, too

Party time!