705 Spanking children may affect their brain development in a similar way as more severe forms of violence, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers. According to the study, published Friday in the Journal Child Development, children who had been spanked had a greater neural response in regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the brain. This is the area of the brain that responds to cues in the environment that may be threatening and affects how the individual makes decisions and processes situations, according to the researchers. “We know that children whose families use corporal punishment are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, behaviour problems, and other mental health problems, but many people don’t think about spanking as a form of violence,” the study’s senior researcher, Katie A. McLaughlin, an associate professor of social sciences and director of the Stress & Development Lab at Harvard University, said in a press release.