Can A Mom's Touch Keep Her Kids Off Drugs?

We all know how much a parent's influence and modeling behavior can have on children, but a new study reveals that from a very early age, a mother's touch may actually prevent drug use in her kids much later on in their lives.

The study, which appears in the Journal of Neuroscience, indicates that if babies are nurtured effectively (they used rats as models) it increases the production of a molecule in the brain’s immune system called Interleukin-10, or IL-10, leaving them less susceptible to drug cravings as adults. Researchers say the study shows for the first time how the nurturing behavior of mothers can actually strengthen their offspring's immune system in the brain.

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