Kiara was born in a single-parent household in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City which is considered to be a low-income neighborhood with public schools that are not well funded and there is barely any quality in the education they provide. 

As an infant, Kiara often found herself in situations where she did not have her mother’s full attention as the mother was busy working day and night to earn bread. She had no toys to play with and no children’s book to flip through. She spent a lot of time crying and feeling lost and neglected. 

As Kiara grew up and started schooling, she felt lost and neglected again and did not receive utmost care and attention from her teachers due to the high student to teacher ratio. Moreover, the physical condition of most of her school was not conducive to learning. Classrooms were deteriorated, windows were broken, lighting was dim, the desks and furniture were crippled. 

Her friends at school and in the neighborhood, unfortunately, experienced similar chaotic and unstable home environments. Some had abusive fathers, others had addict elder siblings and relatives in jails or killed in an incident. 

So, what is the impact of this environment on Kiara’s brain development and ultimately her life outcomes? 

Chronic and unstable environments, especially in early childhood, increase the stress levels in the child’s body and if the situation sustains for a long term, then it turns into chronic stress that has immense negative impact on the brain development and life outcomes. 

Brain development in early childhood

There is a lot of research that proves that our brains are malleable. The brain growth is at peak between the ages of 0 to 6. This is the age where a lot of new neurons and neural networks in the brain are being created for various skills, such as, language, problem solving, self-control, and many more. 

Our prefrontal cortex is responsible for language and analytic & rational thinking. This is the part of the brain that gets activated when we learn something new. 

On the other hand, the amygdala in our limbic system controls our feelings, emotions and desires. This is part of the brain that is usually depicted as our “heart” in cartoons and comics. And all of us can testify to the daily battles between our brain (prefrontal cortex) and heart (limbic system) when we are faced with dilemmas such as to read a book or binge watch Netflix? To workout or eat a chocolate cake? 

In Kiara’s case, it might be similar: to study and do homework or watch TV? To steal bread from a bakery when no one is watching or to be honest and pay for it?  

It requires self-control, ability to focus on a clear goal and conscientiousness to say no to binge watching or grabbing a sugary treat or taking shortcuts in life through stealing to satisfy immediate desires. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, the amygdala isn’t the villain here. In fact, it is the part of our brain that controls emotions and makes life worth living. It also helps us make those decisions that ‘feel right’ - the one’s based on gut-feeling. However, making too many impulsive and emotion-driven decisions can be hazardous to health, wealth and well-being. 

The part of the prefrontal cortex that controls the ability to exert self-control and focus on a goal is called Executive Functions. Executive functions are the fundamental building blocks that lay the foundation for cognitive and non-cognitive learning. Strong executive functions allow us to navigate in our daily lives as they control: 

• Working memory

• Planning, Organizing & Prioritizing 

• Self-Control 

• Self-Regulation of emotions

• Ability to focus. And more 

Strong executive functions in the prefrontal cortex gives us the skill to exert conscious and deliberate control over our emotional, impulsive and sometimes dangerous desires of the heart. Overall, strong executive functions play a vital role in constructing a successful life. 

Impact of stress on executive functions development

Chronic stress, created due to an unstable and chaotic environment, is the poison for developing strong executive functions. Our body releases cortisol when we are stressed. Cortisol is often referred to as “stress hormone” and produces the “fight or flight” response. Cortisol paralyzes our rational thinking and initiates the amygdala hijack. As a result, we make impulsive decisions which is great if we are trying to hit the car brakes to avoid an accident but not so great when choosing between exercising and cake. Constant stress leads to the development of a new habit: making hazardous impulsive decisions. We then become slaves to our desires and start taking shortcuts in every aspect of our lives as our vision gets narrowed to short-term gains only. 

Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis to the rescue

The Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis, our stress response system, is the antidote to chronic stress. It acts as a buffer to external stress and aid in the development of healthy executive functions. Research tells us that the likelihood of developing a healthy HPA axis increases when a child receives utmost love, care and attention from a caregiver. This love, care and attention shields the child from external stress and allows strong executive functions to be developed. 

Who’s fault is it anyway? 

It is unfortunate that Kiara does not get the full attention, care and love from her single-parent, not because the parent doesn’t care, but because the parent doesn’t know the long-term impact on Kiara’s brain development and is mostly left with no choice other than to slog for long hours at minimum wage to provide the basic needs, such as food, shelter and water, to keep the family alive. 

In Kiara’s case, the chronic stress she experiences on a daily basis due to her home and schooling environment is not a result of her own doing. In fact, it is a result of hundreds of years of systemic racism and discrimination that create multiple barriers to Kiara’s long-term success. The vicious cycles of poverty and systemic racism are structured in a way that it is almost impossible for Kiara to break free. 

Through our rose-colored privileged glasses, when we come across a Kiara in our lives who has made a bad decision, such as stealing, we are quick to judge Kiara as a “bad person” without truly understanding the circumstances that led her to make an immoral decision. Kiara was not born with immoral values. Nobody is. Yes, she has made mistakes, but, it is high time we dig deep into the root cause of such social behavior and ask ourselves:

• Is it really Kiara’s fault that she doesn’t have cognitive toys to play with or books to read that accelerate early childhood learning and develop strong executive functions in the prefrontal cortex? 

• Is it really Kiara’s fault that the lack of attachment and attention from a caregiver creates early childhood chronic stress in her body that has a long-term impact on her brain development and leaves her vulnerable to the amygdala hijack for most parts of her life? 

• Is it really Kiara’s fault that she develops the habit of making short-term decisions to satisfy her immediate desires at the cost of long-term gains that can truly help her be successful in life?   

Think. Reflect. Comment. Share.