An article published by National Geographic highlights research conducted at the University of Oregon. The article titled Baby Brains focuses on child brain development and goes in depth about a program created by UO’s Brain Development Lab.
According to National Geographic’s website the article was published in January and has since gained over 57,000 likes on Facebook and has been shared 1,000 times on Twitter.
The Lab’s program obtains family volunteers who are enrolled in the U.S government program, Head Start, which provides low-income families with assistance in preschool education.
Children are taught methods on how to deal with positive and negative emotions. The participants practice attention and emotional self-regulation skills which improve their overall learning capabilities, an article on the UO’s website stated.
The lab is led by Helen Neville, a psychology professor at UO. Neville was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007 and currently serves on the board of governors of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, according to the UO’s website.
Neville said that being published in National Geographic was “a dream come true,” but goes on to describe how the magazine didn’t mention her studies on brain functions and says, “Parenthetically, I was disappointed.”
“I don’t think the National Geographic article even outlined much about the process,” said Scott Klein, research assistant at the Brain Development Lab.
“The Brain Development Lab has conducted research on the neuroplasticity of the brain and examines how environmental factors can affect its development,” Neville said. “The researchers at the lab are very enthusiastic about their work, as it has direct applications towards people and is more tangible than other kinds of studies,” said Eric Pakulak, a research associate with the Brain Development Lab.
“It’s kind of what we all live and breathe, so you kind of have to be passionate about it or you’re in the wrong place,” stated Pakulak.
The lab recently obtained a machine that measures quantified stress. Neville hopes that she will one day be able to combine it with other data collecting methods, such as DNA testing and MRI scans, to get a better understanding of neuroplasticity in the brain.
A DVD  titled, Changing Brains: Effects of Experience on Human Brain Development, was made by the lab to outline its program. The lab decided to produce a video rather than a book about the program to make it more practical for people to use, Neville described.
In the future Neville plans to expand the program to other countries, such as Cuba, Colombia, Sadia Arabia and Argentina with funding from a grant her lab is currently working on obtaining.
“It’s gonna go viral, it is going viral,” Neville said.
Those looking to get involved in the program can visit the website changingbrains.org for more information.
 Follow Eric Schucht on Twitter @EricSchucht