(December 30, 2011 - Insidermedicine) Maltreatment in childhood has been linked with brain changes in adolescence, according to research published in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Maltreatment in childhood has been linked with the following health concerns in adulthood:• obesity
• depression
• smoking
Researchers from Yale University in New Haven asked 42 adolescents who had never been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition to complete questionnaires about their experiences with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as physical and emotional neglect in childhood. The participants also underwent brain imaging, and the investigators looked at whether differences in brain structure were associated with a history of abuse or neglect. The participants were recruited from a sample of teens who were identified at birth as being at high risk for maltreatment in childhood as well as from the general local population.
Overall, the more trauma experienced in childhood, the greater the volume reduction in certain key areas of the brain involved in intellect, reasoning, memory, regulation of emotions, and impulse control. Certain kinds of abuse and neglect were associated with specific patterns of brain volume decrease. The effects were also influenced by gender. Among girls, abuse was more likely to affect areas of the brain involved in emotional regulation, while in boys similar experiences were more likely to affect areas of the brain believed to be involved in impulse control.
Today’s research demonstrates how childhood abuse and neglect can produce clear-cut brain changes that may make adolescents more likely to have behavior problems, even if they do not meet the formal criteria for a psychiatric condition.
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