Ways Parents Can Nurture Their Child's Brain Development

The human brain is the most complex organ in the body, and its development begins early in the fetal development cycle. Dr. Curtis Cripe explains that as the brain continues to develop throughout infancy and childhood, it is crucial for parents to do what they can to promote and nurture brain development in their children.

During pregnancy, soon-to-be-mothers need to get enough nutrients, including folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the developing brain. Dr. Curtis Cripe emphasizes the fact that brain development doesn't stop at birth. Once the baby is born, continued stimulation through activities such as reading, singing, and talking will help support healthy brain development.

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Below, Dr. Curtis Cripe shares some steps parents can take to promote their child's brain development.

Encourage reading from an early age: Reading with your child from an early age is a great way to stimulate their brain development. Not only will they learn new words and concepts, but they will also start to develop important reading skills.

Make time for play: Play is essential for healthy brain development in children. Making time for play allows children to practice essential social and motor skills and explore the world around them with a healthy curiosity.

Encourage positive discipline: It is important to encourage positive behavior in children from an early age. This means using techniques such as praise and rewards rather than punishment.

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Create a stimulating environment: The home environment can significantly impact a child's brain development. Creating a stimulating environment with plenty of toys and activities will help support healthy brain development.

Parents can find a variety of other sources by exploring resources such as the internet, libraries, and consulting with pediatric healthcare professionals. Dr. Curtis Cripe reminds parents that each child is different and will develop at their own pace.

Neuroengineer Dr. Curtis Cripe has a multi-disciplinary background that includes engineering, brain injury, child neurodevelopment, and software development, among others. Bookmark this page to read the latest posts from Dr. Cripe.

NTL Group: A Look Into the World of Neurology

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The work of neurologists, is to understand and treat people with diseases that affect the brain, spine, peripheral nerves, muscles, and autonomic nervous system. A neurologist assesses a patient's symptoms to determine certain conditions like tumors or epilepsy. A patient may be referred to a neurologist by their GP or another medical or specialist doctor. The referral letter from the GP will give details of the problem and what it is believed may be causing it. Dr. Curtis Cripe notes that neurologists also see children referred by a pediatrician because they have not reached their developmental milestones, for example, walking at an appropriate age. In addition, a neurologist may also see them if they have a learning disability.

A neurologist's work is mainly carried out in hospitals, but some do perform outpatient clinic appointments. Neurologists use testing and diagnostics to help determine certain issues based on findings.

A typical working day for a neurologist may involve consulting in a clinic or being on call to deal with emergencies. Dr. Curtis Cripe adds that the work is often demanding and requires good mental acuity.

Neurologists also help develop new treatments for conditions such as Parkinson's disease and movement disorders, which require cutting-edge research in genetics and stem cell research. Neurosurgeons working in neurology also may perform deep brain stimulation to alleviate symptoms of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, as well as surgeries for epilepsy such as disconnecting the corpus callosum.

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Neurologists need a good understanding of their specialist field and some general knowledge from other medical professions. For example, they may require anatomy, physiology, and pathology knowledge.

A neurologist will also need excellent clinical skills to diagnose disease through examination, patient history, and investigations, including blood tests, X-rays, MRI scans, and lumbar puncture. It is not always easy to define what symptoms mean because the cause of the problem is not always clear.

Furthermore, Dr. Curtis Cripe mentions that neurologists have to evaluate the patient's quality of life and focus on improving it by identifying the root cause of the symptoms, which may require input from several other medical professionals.

Dr. Curtis Cripe is the founder and neuroengineer for NTL Group, a consortium of like-minded researchers and healthcare professionals whose primary object is to help those recovery addictions, traumatic brain injuries, and neurodevelopmental delays. For more updates like this, visit this blog.

A number of brain injuries you should be aware of

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Dr. Curtis Cripe has a lot of experience under his belt, and he is also quite an expert in several things all at once. For this blog, he shares about one of the topics he is most knowledgeable in, which is brain injuries. Here are some examples that are worth knowing.

Concussion

Concussions are not to be taken lightly, as this type of injury has caused difficulties and impairments in the brain function that could last a lifetime. This happens when the brain receives trauma from an impact or a sudden momentum or movement change. Internally, the blood vessels in the brain may stretch and cranial nerves may be damaged. According to Dr. Curtis Cripe, this has serious repercussions for the affected individual. Even the force that boxers and football players inflict on opponents have been known to cause concussions.

Coup-Contrecoup

Not to be confused with a concussion is a contusion, which is understood as a bruise that causes bleeding on the brain. A Coup-Contrecoup injury is a complex type of injury, because this is characterized by a contusion at the site of the impact and at the complete opposite side of the brain. The second contusion is a result of the brain slamming into the opposite side of the skull.

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Diffuse Axonal

A Diffuse Axonal injury is typically a result of a strong and abrupt movement of the head, where rotational forces are involved, notes Dr. Curtis Cripe. The most common cause of this condition is car accidents. The principle of inertia is always at work, often understood as the tendency of anything with mass to resist a sudden change in motion. In the case of this injury, the skull moves and the brain lags behind, causing some of its structures to tear.

Dr. Curtis Cripe has a diverse background in neuroengineering, aerospace engineering, psychology, psychophysiology, software development and programming, addiction recovery, brain injury, and child neurodevelopment. He established the Crossroads Institute, which utilizes telemedicine brain training delivery systems to assist children with developmental and learning disorders and provide programs for adults with a wide range of psychological problems, including addiction and traumatic brain injury. For related topics, please visit this page.

Common neurological ailments caused by heavy substance abuse

Prolonged substance abuse, regardless if it involves illegal or legal substances, can have harrowing effects on the human mind and body.

This is why rehabilitation is such a crucial step in weaning people from drugs. Their dependence on substances could go beyond cravings and cause neurological disorders, which are more difficult to reverse.

Sometimes, these changes are permanent. According to Dr. Curtis Cripe, a leading neurological expert, heavy substance abuse can easily cause damages to the human mind and body. Examples of such damages are:

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Seizures

Seizures are triggered in a variety of ways, and one of them is through substance abuse. Seizures usually result from erratic changes in the electrical activity produced by the brain. Taking substances like methamphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy in high doses can trigger this phenomenon. Likewise, withdrawal from substances like benzodiazepine can also have similar results.

Encephalopathy

Encephalopathy is associated with altered mental stages due to brain damage. It is often a complication brought about by liver damage or oxygen deprivation of the brain. While encephalopathy has a chance of being reduced through early treatments, extensive damage is often permanent.

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Dementia

Although dementia is often used as an umbrella term for various neurological conditions, dementia caused by substance abuse is often associated with decrease in intellect, as well as cognitive levels, memory loss, and cognitive functions like speech, concentration, and judgment. According to Dr. Curtis Cripe, heavy abuse of substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and benzodiazepines can cause dementia.

Dr. Curtis Cripe is a neuroengineer with a diverse multidisciplinary background that includes software development, bioengineering, addiction recovery, psychophysiology, psychology, brain injury, and child neurodevelopment. To read more about Dr. Cripe and his work, visit this website.