Early Life Experiences Could Have Long-term Effects

KYW Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We've always known that things that happen to us when we are children can have a long-term effects.

Neuroscience reports have shown that emotional stress caused by parental loss, abuse, or neglect during infancy could result in memory loss and cognitive decline 40-50 years later.

Here is how we think it works. Emotional stress at an early age can trigger a gradual deterioration of brain cell communication in adulthood. Cell signaling problems occur in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in the collection, storage, and recall of learned memories. These memory deficits worsen as we grow older.

Work was done on rats who were presented with severe stresses early in their lives. There is no doubt that early life experiences – especially stressful ones can have a major impact.