http://www.mercola.com/1997/sep/14/baby_cuddling.htm

CUDDLED AS A BABY MEANS A LESS-STRESSED ADULT LIFE

                              Experts say that simply being touched and
held during the first few
                              years of childhood may set up positive
stress-response patterns
                              that last a lifetime. Studies in rats have
found that newborns who
                              receive repeated touching, licking and
grooming from their
                              mothers have "all sorts of protective
benefits against the negative
                              effects of stress in adulthood."

                              The investigators discovered that pups
whose mothers had been
                              especially attentive during childhood had
more of a certain kind of
                              receptor on the surface of the structure
in the brain called the
                              hippocampus than relatively 'neglected'
pups. These receptors
                              responded specifically to the cortisol
like hormone, which is
                              secreted by the adrenal glands during
stressful situations.

                              Production of this hormone is shut down
when the hormone binds
                              to receptors on the hippocampus, and a
signal is sent from the
                              brain back to the adrenal gland,
effectively telling it to 'switch off'
                              production. More corticosterone-receptors
on the hippocampus of
                              the 'well-fondled' rats means the brain is
more sensitive to the
                              hormone, and more efficient in sending
back this signal to stop the
                              stress response.

                              Humans also secrete cortisol, and while we
don't lick and groom
                              our newborns, most human parents do seem
fond of holding and
                              caressing them. The developmental effect
seems to be
                              time-specific. The stress-reactions of
rats in adulthood seem to be
                              'programmed' by maternal touch during the
first two weeks of life.
                              This time period may be likened to the
first 3 years of human
                              development.

                              Harvard researchers are studying the
hormonal levels of Romanian
                              orphans who were simply "left alone in
cribs or playpens, with no
                              stimulation, no interaction" for the first
few years of life. The
                              Harvard researchers"are finding similar
measures. They're finding
                              that their cortisol measures are really
high, compared with
                              similarly-aged children brought up in
family homes. The plight of
                              these orphans in later development has
been well documented --
                              distant, highly-stressed, insular children
who have difficulty coping
                              with 'normal' human interaction and touch.

                              Science (1997;277:1859-1861

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