Web edition: September 13, 2012 Print edition: October 20, 2012;
Vol.182 #8 (p. 18) Changes in the brains of mice that were
isolated as young pups may help explain the profound behavioral
problems of severely neglected children. The mouse experiments
suggest that neglect during a specific developmental window
irreversibly stunts brain development, researchers report in the
Sept. 14 Science. Over the last decade, researchers have
catalogued brain deficits and behavioral problems in Romanian
orphans who were raised in bare-bones environments with little
social stimulation. Many of these children display
hyperactivity, impulsivity and compulsive behavior such as arm
flapping. Although superficially friendly, these kids have
trouble forming meaningful relationships. By studying mice that
had been isolated early in life, researchers led by Gabriel
Corfas of Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School
hoped to uncover how social deprivation can affect the
developing brain. After the mice had weaned, the r