How does stress impact a child’s brain? An interview with Dr. William Stixrud

Please take a moment to view the video below where neuropychologist Dr. William Stixrud is interviewed about stress and solutions:

What does stress do to impulse control? Decision-making? Is the Transcendental Meditation technique an effective antidote? Dr. William Stixrud is a renowned clinical neuropsychologist in Washington, D.C., an adjunct faculty member at Children’s National Medical Center, and a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, Divisions of Neuropsychology and Metabolic Disorders. He specializes in the neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents, and adults with learning, attentional/executive, and/or emotional disorders.

In this first in a series of short interviews, Dr. Stixrud talks about the enormous potential of a child’s brain and the devastating impact on brain development of stress, substance abuse and sleep deprivation. He also talks about the problems kids face as they navigate through adolescence, which can include making bad decisions, losing motivation, getting depressed, developing eating disorders or self-injury, and abusing drugs or alcohol.

“All these problems are highly related to stress,” Dr. Stixrud says. “When kids practice the Transcendental Meditation technique, the more they find they are less reactive to stress. They generally sleep better, they find it easier to eat better and get through life.”