ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the processes through which neuroscientific knowledge makes its way into social policy and professional practice, bringing with it significant implications for the relationship between the state and the family. It summarizes the general thrust of Allen's argument: Different parts of the brain develop in different sensitive windows of time. The development of a baby's brain is affected by the attachment to their parents and analysis of neglected children's brains has shown that their brain growth is significantly reduced. The brain images on the front cover are potent. The early years are a very sensitive period when it is much easier to help the developing social and emotional structure of the infant brain, and after which the basic architecture is formed for life. The research cited is a paper by Dawson et al., which examines patterns of scalp-recorded brain activity associated with emotional disturbances in the children of depressed mothers.
