Local News

In joint research conducted with Harvard University, Akemi Tomoda of the Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kumamoto University has shown that repeated harsh physical punishment of children aged 4-15 resulted in atrophy of the frontal lobe of the brain. The extent of the atrophy ranged as high as 19%. This atrophy is one cause of depression and behavior disorders. The definition used in the research for repeated harsh physical punishment was slapping the face or spanking the buttocks with a belt 12 times or more a year for three or more years.