Early Trauma and Brain Development in Infants

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There are so many things to consider when pregnant and when you bring your newborn home. Many joys, questions, and worries exist together in the minds of parents, whether they are brand new to parenting or seasoned parents of many children. Babies develop so rapidly in their first year, going from helpless newborns to independently mobile, communicative little persons. One developmental issue that may be unpleasant to think about is the affect of early trauma on an infant's brain development. What does physical and emotional trauma do to a baby's developing brain?

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Physical Trauma

Perhaps the most well-known form of physical infant brain trauma is "shaken baby syndrome," which occurs when an infant is shaken and his developing brain rattles back and forth within his skull, causing hemorrhages in the brain. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a common result of shaking is "subdural hemorrhage caused by the disruption of small bridging veins that connect" part of the brain. A child so shaken may have "subdural hemorrhages, subarachnoid hemorrhages, or both."

The outcome of such hemorrhages is a high rate of morbidity and mortality among infant victims of this injury. The AAP reports that "in one series, of those infants who were comatose when initially examined, 60% died or had profound mental retardation, spastic quadriplegia, or severe motor dysfunction. Other infants initially had seizures, irritability, or lethargy but had no lacerations or infarctions of brain tissue." Shaken infants who do not receive medical attention may later present with motor, behavior, or learning problems of an unknown cause.

Other Trauma

Infants may experience trauma not necessarily associated with physical trauma. For instance, one-time events like a natural disaster, or ongoing events such as sexual abuse or war, can affect an infant's developing brain. Because such trauma is an experience, it can affect the victim well into adulthood. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues posit that such trauma affects the central nervous system in a number of ways. One effect is the "fight or flight" response, in which "everyday stressors which previously may not have elicited any response now elicit an exaggerated reactivity." Children who suffer trauma may become "hyper-reactive and overly sensitive."

Infants who suffer from trauma may also exhibit a "freezing" response, in which they become disassociated as a response to a threat or fear. This "freezing" is a way for the child to get away from a situation and retreat to an internal world in order to try to figure out a response to a threat. These children may appear to be numb, robotic, or daydreaming.

Perry, et al, report that the duration of the response to trauma is influenced by a variety of factors, the most important of which appears to "the availability of a healthy and responsive caretaker to provide some support and nurturance for the child following the trauma." Adult caretakers may be impacted by the same traumas as infants, and therefore need treatment as well in order to care for their children. If the "caretaker" is the source of the trauma, "the child's emotional survival depends on a zone of safety which includes new, true caretakers."

Further Resources

Obviously, this is a broad overview of a complex topic, and is not intended to be comprehensive. For further information regarding early trauma and brain development in infants, your pediatrician may be able to offer insights. You may also find the AAP's site useful.

Infant Brain Development

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