Why love matters : how affection shapes a baby's brain / Sue Gerhardt

Part 1:The foundations: babies and their brains;
1 Before we meet them;
2 Back to the beginning;
3 Building a brain;
4 Corrosive cortisol;
Conclusion to Part 1;

Part 2: Shaky foundations and their consequences;
5 Trying not to feel: the links between early emotional regulation and the immune system;
6 Melancholy baby: how early experience can alter brain chemistry, leading to adult depression.
7 Active harm: the links between trauma in babyhood and trauma in adult life
8 Torment: the links between personality disorders and early experience;
9 Original sin: how babies who are treated harshly may not develop empathy for others;

Part 3 Too much information, not enough solutions: where do we go from here?;
10 'If all else fails, hug your teddybear': repairing the damage;
11 Birth of the future

Includes bibliographical reference and index