BMJ 2013;347:f7441 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f7441 (Published 16 December 2013)
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS BREADLINES, BRAINS, AND BEHAVIOUR
To boldly go “brain training” Woody Caan editor Journal of Public Mental Health, Duxford CB22 4PA, UK
Marteau and Hall hit the nail on the head: an impoverished childhood can impair the brain’s development.1 The proposed capacity they relate to lifelong problems with health behaviours (executive functioning) is entirely plausible—poor control of impulsive behaviours has been recognised for a century as characteristic of disorders involving the prefrontal cortex. However, their editorial produced one “laugh out loud” misjudgment of contemporary child development. They propose more computer based brain training—that is, more sedentary time spent in front of a display screen watching video images. Children need purposeful, unpredictable, exploration of their wider environment. Children of all intellectual abilities and social classes can enjoy learning as an adventure in “forest school.”2 From an evolutionary perspective, it is no surprise that primates need to explore an open environment (as when monkeys forage) to activate their prefrontal cortex.3 Even in an
urban setting, active engagement with nature can “help build a sense of pride, capturing people’s imagination, stimulating community spirit and promoting civil society.”4 Sounds healthy to me. Competing interests: I previously worked on environmental effects on health. 1 2 3 4
Marteau TM, Hall PA. Breadlines, brains, and behaviour. BMJ 2013;347:f6750. (12 November.) Knight S. Risk and adventure in early years outdoor play: learning from forest schools. SAGE, 2011. Ma Y-Y, Ryou J-W, Kim B-H, Wilson FAW. Spatially directed movement and neuronal activity in freely moving monkey. Progr Brain Res 2004;143:513-20. Burls A. The “mental capital” value of the outdoors. In: Mental wellbeing. Academy of Social Sciences, 2013:16.
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f7441 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2013
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS BREADLINES, BRAINS, AND BEHAVIOUR
To boldly go “brain training” Woody Caan editor Journal of Public Mental Health, Duxford CB22 4PA, UK
Marteau and Hall hit the nail on the head: an impoverished childhood can impair the brain’s development.1 The proposed capacity they relate to lifelong problems with health behaviours (executive functioning) is entirely plausible—poor control of impulsive behaviours has been recognised for a century as characteristic of disorders involving the prefrontal cortex. However, their editorial produced one “laugh out loud” misjudgment of contemporary child development. They propose more computer based brain training—that is, more sedentary time spent in front of a display screen watching video images. Children need purposeful, unpredictable, exploration of their wider environment. Children of all intellectual abilities and social classes can enjoy learning as an adventure in “forest school.”2 From an evolutionary perspective, it is no surprise that primates need to explore an open environment (as when monkeys forage) to activate their prefrontal cortex.3 Even in an
urban setting, active engagement with nature can “help build a sense of pride, capturing people’s imagination, stimulating community spirit and promoting civil society.”4 Sounds healthy to me. Competing interests: I previously worked on environmental effects on health. 1 2 3 4
Marteau TM, Hall PA. Breadlines, brains, and behaviour. BMJ 2013;347:f6750. (12 November.) Knight S. Risk and adventure in early years outdoor play: learning from forest schools. SAGE, 2011. Ma Y-Y, Ryou J-W, Kim B-H, Wilson FAW. Spatially directed movement and neuronal activity in freely moving monkey. Progr Brain Res 2004;143:513-20. Burls A. The “mental capital” value of the outdoors. In: Mental wellbeing. Academy of Social Sciences, 2013:16.
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f7441 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2013
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
