NMT Principles
What is the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) Metric?
NMT utilizes this clinical tool to help clinicians understand the functional organization of a child's brain and guide treatment planning.
What is synaptogenesis?
This process, involving the formation of new connections between neurons, is critical for learning and memory.
What is self-regulation?
The ability to manage one's own emotional and physiological states.
What is the survival response?
This "fight, flight, or freeze" response, often triggered by perceived threat, is mediated by the more primitive brain regions and can become a default response in traumatized individuals.
What is regulation or calm/regulated state?
For a child exhibiting significant dysregulation, the first therapeutic goal in NMT is to achieve this state before higher-level interventions can be effective.
What is neuroplasticity?
This NMT concept refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life in response to experience
What is synaptic pruning?
The pruning of unused synaptic connections that occurs naturally as the brain matures.
What is co-regulation?
The process by which an individual helps another person return to a calm and regulated state, often through mirroring or soothing actions.
What is the social engagement system or attachment system?
Early relational trauma can significantly impair the development of this specific attachment system, leading to difficulties with trust and secure relationships.
What is rhythmic regulation or patterned repetitive experience?
This NMT-informed approach involves caregivers engaging in rhythmic, repetitive activities with a child to help organize lower brain functions.
What is "dose-response matching" or "matching the intervention to the brain state"?
In NMT, this term describes the process of matching therapeutic interventions to the specific developmental stage and functional state of the child's brain.
What is myelin?
This fatty substance insulates axons, allowing for faster and more efficient neural communication.
What is hyperarousal?
This physiological state is characterized by an elevated heart rate, shallow breathing, and heightened vigilance, often seen in response to perceived threat.
What is an altered stress response?
Chronic early childhood trauma can lead to an overactive stress response system , often resulting in hyperarousal and difficulty regulating emotions.
What is the diencephalon (or brain stem/diencephalon)?
A therapist using an NMT approach might prioritize sensory-based interventions, such as weighted blankets or swinging, to address dysregulation in this brain region.
What is "sequential development" or "developmental scaffolding"?
This NMT principle states that the brain develops in a sequential and hierarchical manner, from bottom to top and inside out.
What are critical periods or sensitive periods?
The period of rapid brain growth and organization that primarily occurs during early childhood.
What is hypoarousal?
A state of extreme withdrawal, unresponsiveness, or dissociation often experienced when the nervous system is overwhelmed.
What is "neurobiological sensitization" or "kindling"?
According to NMT, this concept explains how early adverse experiences can "prime" the developing brain to be more vulnerable to future stress and trauma.
What are functional neural networks or brain state networks?
NMT emphasizes that effective bottom-up interventions help to build these foundational neural pathways, rather than just managing symptoms.
What is the NMT Metric or Brain Map?
This NMT tool graphically represents the relative maturity and functional state of different brain regions.
What is Hebb's Law?
This principle states that "neurons that fire together, wire together," highlighting the importance of repeated experiences in shaping neural pathways.
What is the "window of tolerance" or optimal arousal zone?
According to NMT, therapeutic interventions for a child in a highly dysregulated state must first prioritize moving them towards this zone.
What is atrophy or impaired development of limbic structures?
When a child experiences significant neglect, the developing brain may show reduced size and connectivity in areas responsible for social-emotional processing.
What is "relational rhythm" or "therapeutic rhythm"?
This NMT concept underscores the importance of a consistent, predictable, and nurturing therapeutic environment for promoting brain organization and healing.