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González-Acosta CA, Rojas-Cerón CA, Buriticá E. Functional Alterations and Cerebral Variations in Humans Exposed to Early Life Stress. Front Public Health 2021; 8:536188. [PMID: 33553081 PMCID: PMC7856302 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.536188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life stress can be caused by acute or chronic exposure to childhood events, such as emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect. Early stress is associated with subsequent alterations in physical and mental health, which can extend into adolescence, adulthood, and even old age. The effects of early stress exposure include alterations in cognitive, neuropsychological, and behavioral functions, and can even lead to the development of psychiatric disorders and changes in brain anatomy. The present manuscript provides a review of the main findings on these effects reported in the scientific literature in recent decades. Early life stress is associated with the presence of psychiatric disorders, mainly mood disorders such as depression and risk of suicide, as well as with the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the neuropsychological level, the involvement of different mental processes such as executive functions, abstract reasoning, certain memory modalities, and poor school-skill performance has been reported. In addition, we identified reports of alterations of different subdomains of each of these processes. Regarding neuroanatomical effects, the involvement of cortical regions, subcortical nuclei, and the subcortical white matter has been documented. Among the telencephalic regions most affected and studied are the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the anterior cingulate cortex. Understanding the impact of early life stress on postnatal brain development is very important for the orientation of therapeutic intervention programs and could help in the formulation and implementation of preventive measures as well as in the reorientation of research targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian A Rojas-Cerón
- Centro de Estudios Cerebrales, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.,Departamento de Pediatría, Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.,Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo García, Cali, Colombia
| | - Efraín Buriticá
- Centro de Estudios Cerebrales, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
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Pubertal development mediates the association between family environment and brain structure and function in childhood. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 32:687-702. [PMID: 31258099 PMCID: PMC7525116 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419000580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Psychosocial acceleration theory suggests that pubertal maturation is accelerated in response to adversity. In addition, suboptimal caregiving accelerates development of the amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex circuit. These findings may be related. Here, we assess whether associations between family environment and measures of the amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex circuit are mediated by pubertal development in more than 2000 9- and 10-year-old children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (http://dx.doi.org/10.15154/1412097). Using structural equation modeling, demographic, child-reported, and parent-reported data on family dynamics were compiled into a higher level family environment latent variable. Magnetic resonance imaging preprocessing and compilations were performed by the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study's data analysis core. Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) thickness, area, white matter fractional anisotropy, amygdala volume, and cingulo-opercular network–amygdala resting-state functional connectivity were assessed. For ACC cortical thickness and ACC fractional anisotropy, significant indirect effects indicated that a stressful family environment relates to more advanced pubertal stage and more mature brain structure. For cingulo-opercular network–amygdala functional connectivity, results indicated a trend in the expected direction. For ACC area, evidence for quadratic mediation by pubertal stage was found. Sex-stratified analyses suggest stronger results for girls. Despite small effect sizes, structural measures of circuits important for emotional behavior are associated with family environment and show initial evidence of accelerated pubertal development.
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Van Dessel J, Sonuga-Barke E, Moerkerke M, Van der Oord S, Lemiere J, Morsink S, Danckaerts M. The amygdala in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Structural and functional correlates of delay aversion. World J Biol Psychiatry 2020; 21:673-684. [PMID: 30945592 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2019.1585946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies implicate structural alterations of amygdala, a brain region responsible for processing and experiencing negative emotions, in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here we examined ADHD-related structural correlates of amygdala functional activity elicited during a functional MRI task designed to test behavioural and brain responses to the imposition of delay - an event known to both elicit amygdala hyperactivation and aversity in ADHD. METHODS Structural MRI scans from 28 right-handed male adolescents with combined type ADHD and 32 age-matched controls were analysed. Regional grey matter volumes of ADHD and control participants (P[FWE] < 0.05) were correlated with delay aversion self-ratings and neural activity in response to delay-related cues on the Escape Delay Incentive fMRI task. RESULTS ADHD was associated with significantly reduced volumes in bilateral amygdala, parahippocampal and temporal gyrus (P[FWE] < 0.05), greater basolateral amygdala activation to delay-related cues (P[FWE] < 0.05) and higher delay aversion self-ratings. Amygdala volume reductions were significantly correlated with, and statistically mediated the pathway from ADHD to, delay-cue-related amygdala hyperactivity (P < 0.01) and self-reported delay aversion (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS We provide the first evidence of the functional significance of reduced amygdala volumes in adolescents with ADHD by highlighting its relation to delay-induced brain activity that is linked to delay aversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen Van Dessel
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Edmund Sonuga-Barke
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK.,Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matthijs Moerkerke
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Saskia Van der Oord
- Clinical Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jurgen Lemiere
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sarah Morsink
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marina Danckaerts
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Womersley JS, Hemmings SMJ, Ziegler C, Gutridge A, Ahmed-Leitao F, Rosenstein D, Domschke K, Seedat S. Childhood emotional neglect and oxytocin receptor variants: Association with limbic brain volumes. World J Biol Psychiatry 2020; 21:513-528. [PMID: 30806136 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2019.1584331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: Childhood emotional neglect (EN) is a predictor for the development of affective disorders. Oxytocin (OXT) may mediate the interplay between EN and changes in stress biological systems, brain development, and mental health outcomes. We investigated, in a cross-sectional study, the associations between EN, (epi)genetic variation in the OXT receptor (OXTR) gene, and amygdalar and hippocampal volumes, two brain regions implicated in emotional processing.Methods: We recruited 63 Caucasian South African adults (35 women) with and without social anxiety disorder. Childhood EN was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. rs53576 and rs2254298 genotypes, as well as methylation status, was determined using DNA purified from whole blood. Bilateral amygdalar and hippocampal volumes were determined by structural magnetic resonance imaging. The relationships between these variables were investigated using linear regression.Results: The interaction of the rs2254298 A risk allele and EN was nominally associated with reduced left hippocampal volume. The rs2254298 A risk allele was independently associated with reduced bilateral amygdalar volumes. We found no association between EN, OXTR methylation and amygdalar or hippocampal volumes. The rs53576 GG risk genotype was, however, associated with decreased OXTR methylation.Conclusions: The rs2254298 A allele may increase susceptibility to the structural brain effects of EN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Samantha Womersley
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Sian Megan Joanna Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Christiane Ziegler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 70104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ashley Gutridge
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Fatima Ahmed-Leitao
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - David Rosenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 70104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
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55
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Neves BHS, Barbosa GPDR, Rosa ACDS, Picua SS, Gomes GM, Sosa PM, Mello-Carpes PB. On the role of the dopaminergic system in the memory deficits induced by maternal deprivation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 173:107272. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Letkiewicz AM, Silton RL, Mimnaugh KJ, Miller GA, Heller W, Fisher J, Sass SM. Childhood abuse history and attention bias in adults. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13627. [PMID: 32633826 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Attention biases toward unpleasant information are evident among children and adults with a history of abuse and have been identified as a potential pathway through which abused children develop psychopathology. Identifying whether a history of childhood abuse affects the time course of attention biases in adults is critical, as this may provide intervention targets. The present study examined the time course of attention bias during an emotion-word Stroop task using event-related potentials (ERPs) in a sample of adults with a range of child abuse histories using a categorical approach (comparing adults with or without a history of moderate-to-severe childhood abuse) and a dimensional approach (analyzing the range from no abuse to severe abuse in a continuous manner). Although behavioral performance did not vary as a function of abuse history, adults with a history of moderate-to-severe childhood abuse showed ERP evidence of early reduced processing of emotional stimuli (smaller N200) and later reduced processing of emotional and nonemotional stimuli (smaller P300), followed by later increased processing of unpleasant stimuli (larger slow wave [SW]). Results suggest that early disengagement from emotional stimuli may help individuals with moderate-to-severe abuse histories to achieve normal behavioral performance on the emotion-word Stroop task. Additionally, regardless of analytic approach, adults with elevated levels of childhood abuse exhibited prolonged engagement (larger SW) specifically with unpleasant stimuli. Present results demonstrate attention bias patterns in adults with a history of childhood abuse and clarify the time course of attention bias. Results are discussed in the context of potential treatment implications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca L Silton
- Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Gregory A Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Heller
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Carle-Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Joscelyn Fisher
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sarah M Sass
- Department of Psychology & Counseling, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
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57
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Picci G, Rose EJ, VanMeter JW, Fishbein DH. The moderating role of socioeconomic status on level of responsibility, executive functioning, and cortical thinning during adolescence. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:291-304. [PMID: 32621532 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Brain development is exquisitely sensitive to psychosocial experiences, with implications for neurodevelopmental trajectories, for better or worse. The premise of this investigation was that the level of responsibility in adolescence may relate to brain structure and higher-order cognitive functions. In a sample of 108 adolescents, we focused on cortical thickness (using FreeSurfer) as an indicator of neurodevelopment in regions previously implicated in executive functioning (EF) and examined performance on an EF task outside of the scanner, in the context of level of responsibility. We further investigated whether socioeconomic status (SES) and family stress moderated the relationship between responsibility and brain structure or EF. Findings revealed that greater responsibility was related to thinner left precuneus and right middle frontal cortex. In lower SES adolescents, greater responsibility predicted thinner left precuneus and right middle frontal cortex, which have been consistently implicated in EF. Higher SES adolescents did not show structural differences related to responsibility, however, they did exhibit better EF performance. It may be that circumstances surrounding the need for greater responsibility in lower SES households are detrimental to neurodevelopment compared to higher SES households. Alternatively, responsibility may act as a protective factor that bolsters cortical thinning in regions related to EF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Picci
- Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN), The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.,Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Emma J Rose
- Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN), The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - John W VanMeter
- Center for Functional and Molecular Imaging, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Diana H Fishbein
- Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN), The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.,Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.,Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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58
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Ma J, Hua XY, Zheng MX, Wu JJ, Huo BB, Xing XX, Ding W, Xu JG. Spatial patterns of intrinsic brain activity and functional connectivity in facial synkinesis patients. Br J Neurosurg 2020; 35:730-735. [PMID: 32500814 DOI: 10.1080/02688697.2020.1773396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: As one of the most objectionable sequelae of facial paralysis, patients with facial synkinesis are more likely to be depressed and have lower quality of life than other facial paralysis patients. However, there is no research on the spatial patterns of intrinsic brain activity and functional connectivity in these patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial patterns and cerebral plasticity of facial synkinesis patients.Methods: A total of 20 facial synkinesis patients (18 men and 2 women; mean age: 33.35 ± 6.97 years old) and 19 healthy controls (17 men and 2 women; mean age: 33.21 ± 6.75 years old) were enrolled in this study. resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected, and the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) were calculated for each participant. Two-sample t-tests were performed to compare the ALFF, ReHo, and DC maps between the two groups.Results: Compared with the healthy controls, facial synkinesis patients exhibited decreased ALFF in the fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, triangular inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, precuneus, caudate nucleus and thalamus; decreased ReHo in the cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, insula, superior temporal gyrus, orbital middle frontal gyrus, caudate nucleus and thalamus; and decreased DC in the frontal lobe, insula, cingulate gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, lenticular putamen, hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. We found significant overlap in the superior frontal gyrus across the ALFF, ReHo and DC analyses.Conclusions: In facial synkinesis patients, the neurological activity in brain areas is reduced and the local synchronization in motion-related brain regions is decreased. The superior frontal gyrus could be a crucial region in the unique spatial patterns of intrinsic brain activity and functional connectivity in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Ma
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu-Yun Hua
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Yueyang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Rehabilitation Section, Spine Surgery Division of Department of Orthopedics, Tongji Hospital, Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mou-Xiong Zheng
- Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Yueyang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia-Jia Wu
- Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bei-Bei Huo
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiang-Xin Xing
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Ding
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Guang Xu
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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59
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Kujawa A, Klein DN, Pegg S, Weinberg A. Developmental trajectories to reduced activation of positive valence systems: A review of biological and environmental contributions. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 43:100791. [PMID: 32510349 PMCID: PMC7225621 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced activation of positive valence systems (PVS), including blunted neural and physiological responses to pleasant stimuli and rewards, has been shown to prospectively predict the development of psychopathology. Yet, little is known about how reduced PVS activation emerges across development or what implications it has for prevention. We review genetic, temperament, parenting, and naturalistic and laboratory stress research on neural measures of PVS and outline developmentally-informed models of trajectories of PVS activation. PVS function is partly heritable and appears to reflect individual differences in early-emerging temperament traits. Although lab-induced stressors blunt PVS activation, effects of parenting and naturalistic stress on PVS are mixed and depend on the type of stressor, developmental timing, and interactions amongst risk factors. We propose that there may be multiple, dynamic developmental trajectories to reduced PVS activation in which combinations of genes, temperament, and exposure to severe, prolonged, or uncontrollable stress may exert direct and interactive effects on PVS function. Critically, these risk factors may alter PVS developmental trajectories and/or PVS sensitivity to proximal stressors. Distinct factors may converge such that PVS activation proceeds along a typical, accelerated, chronically low, or stress-reactive trajectory. Finally, we present directions for future research with translational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn Kujawa
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203-5721, United States.
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, United States.
| | - Samantha Pegg
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203-5721, United States.
| | - Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1G1, Canada.
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Waller R, Hawes SW, Byrd AL, Dick AS, Sutherland MT, Riedel MC, Tobia MJ, Bottenhorn KL, Laird AR, Gonzalez R. Disruptive Behavior Problems, Callous-Unemotional Traits, and Regional Gray Matter Volume in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:481-489. [PMID: 32144045 PMCID: PMC7214118 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurobiological differences linked to socioemotional and cognitive processing are well documented in youths with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), especially youths with callous-unemotional (CU) traits. The current study expanded this literature by examining gray matter volume (GMV) differences among youths with DBD with CU traits (DBDCU+), youths with DBD without CU traits (DBD-only), and youths that were typically developing (TD). METHODS Data were from the first full sample release of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (mean age = 9.49 years; 49% female). We tested whether the GMVs of 11 regions of interest selected a priori differentiated between our 3 groups: DBDCU+ (n = 288), DBD-only (n = 362), and TD (n = 915). Models accounted for demographic confounders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and intracranial volume. We examined two potential moderators of the relationship between GMVs and group membership: sex and clinically significant anxiety (i.e., primary vs. secondary CU traits subtype). RESULTS Youths in the DBDCU+ group had lower right amygdala GMV, and youths in the DBD-only group had lower bilateral amygdala GMV relative to TD youths. Youths in the DBDCU+ group had lower bilateral hippocampal GMV, and youths in the DBD-only group had lower left hippocampal GMV relative to TD youths. Youths in the DBDCU+ group evidenced lower left insula GMV relative to TD youths. Finally, youths in the DBD-only group had lower left superior frontal gyrus and lower right caudal anterior cingulate cortex GMVs relative to TD youths. There was no moderation of associations between GMV and group membership by sex. CONCLUSIONS Our findings implicate structural aberrations in both the amygdala and hippocampus in the etiology of DBDs, with minimal evidence for differences based on the presence or absence of CU traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Waller
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
| | - Samuel W Hawes
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - Amy L Byrd
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Anthony S Dick
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | | | - Michael C Riedel
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - Michael J Tobia
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | | | - Angela R Laird
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - Raul Gonzalez
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
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61
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Rantamäki T, Kohtala S. Encoding, Consolidation, and Renormalization in Depression: Synaptic Homeostasis, Plasticity, and Sleep Integrate Rapid Antidepressant Effects. Pharmacol Rev 2020; 72:439-465. [DOI: 10.1124/pr.119.018697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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62
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Idsoe T, Vaillancourt T, Dyregrov A, Hagen KA, Ogden T, Nærde A. Bullying Victimization and Trauma. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:480353. [PMID: 33519533 PMCID: PMC7841334 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.480353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bullying victimization and trauma research traditions operate quite separately. Hence, it is unclear from the literature whether bullying victimization should be considered as a form of interpersonal trauma. We review studies that connect bullying victimization with symptoms of PTSD, and in doing so, demonstrate that a conceptual understanding of the consequences of childhood bullying needs to be framed within a developmental perspective. We discuss two potential diagnoses that ought to be considered in the context of bullying victimization: (1) developmental trauma disorder, which was suggested but not accepted as a new diagnosis in the DSM-5 and (2) complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which has been included in the ICD-11. Our conclusion is that these frameworks capture the complexity of the symptoms associated with bullying victimization better than PTSD. We encourage practitioners to understand how exposure to bullying interacts with development at different ages when addressing the consequences for targets and when designing interventions that account for the duration, intensity, and sequelae of this type of interpersonal trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thormod Idsoe
- Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Atle Dyregrov
- Center for Crisis Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Terje Ogden
- Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ane Nærde
- Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development, Oslo, Norway
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63
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Bartlett EA, Klein DN, Li K, DeLorenzo C, Kotov R, Perlman G. Depression Severity Over 27 Months in Adolescent Girls Is Predicted by Stress-Linked Cortical Morphology. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:769-778. [PMID: 31230728 PMCID: PMC6814528 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence supports the notion that early-life stress and trauma impact cortical development and increase vulnerability to depression. However, it remains unclear whether common stressful life events in community-dwelling adolescents have similar consequences for cortical development. METHODS A total of 232 adolescent girls (mean age 15.29 ± 0.65 years) were assessed with the Stressful Life Events Schedule (a semistructured interview of stressors in the previous 9 months) and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan. FreeSurfer 5.3.0 was used to perform whole-brain surface-based morphometry. Dysphoria was assessed at the time of imaging and prospectively at three 9-month follow-up appointments using the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms II. RESULTS At least one stressful life event was reported in 90% of the adolescent participants during the 9 months preceding imaging. Greater burden of recent life stress was associated with less left precuneus and left postcentral cortical thickness and smaller left superior frontal and right inferior parietal volume (all p < .05 after multiple comparisons correction). Left precuneus thickness in the stress-associated cluster significantly predicted dysphoria for 27 months after imaging controlling for prior dysphoria (β = -.11, p = .004). Left precuneus cortical thickness accounted for 17.0% of the association between stress and dysphoric mood for 27 months after imaging (β = .04, p = .05). CONCLUSIONS Consistent with evidence from imaging studies of trauma-exposed youths and preclinical stress models, a heavy burden of recent common life stress in community-dwelling adolescent girls was associated with altered frontal/parietal cortical morphology. Stress-linked precuneus cortical thickness represents a candidate prospective biomarker of adolescent depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Bartlett
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Kaiqiao Li
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Christine DeLorenzo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York; Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Roman Kotov
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Greg Perlman
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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64
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Jenkins LM, Chiang JJ, Vause K, Hoffer L, Alpert K, Parrish TB, Wang L, Miller GE. Subcortical structural variations associated with low socioeconomic status in adolescents. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 41:162-171. [PMID: 31571360 PMCID: PMC7268024 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with a higher probability of multiple exposures (e.g., neighborhood violence, poor nutrition, housing instability, air pollution, and insensitive caregiving) known to affect structural development of subcortical brain regions that subserve threat and reward processing, however, few studies have examined the relationship between SES and such subcortical structures in adolescents. We examined SES variations in volume and surface morphometry of subcortical regions. The sample comprised 256 youth in eighth grade (mean age = 13.9 years), in whom high dimensional deformation mapping of structural 3T magnetic resonance imaging scans was performed. Vertex‐wise linear regression analyses examined associations between income to poverty ratio and surfaces of the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens and pallidum, with the covariates age, pubertal status, and intracranial volume. Given sex differences in pubertal development and subcortical maturation at this age, the analyses were stratified by sex. Among males, who at this age average an earlier pubertal stage than females, the relationship between SES and local shape variation in subcortical regions was almost entirely positive. For females, the relationship between SES and local shape variation was negative. Racial identity was associated with SES in our sample, however supplementary analyses indicated that most of the associations between SES and subcortical structure were independent of it. Although these cross‐sectional results are not definitive, they are consistent with a scenario where low SES delays structural maturation of subcortical regions involved with threat and reward processing. Future longitudinal studies are needed to test this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne M Jenkins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jessica J Chiang
- Department of, Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Katherine Vause
- Department of, Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Lauren Hoffer
- Department of, Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kathryn Alpert
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Todd B Parrish
- Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.,Department Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Gregory E Miller
- Department of, Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
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65
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Wang S, Zhao Y, Zhang L, Wang X, Wang X, Cheng B, Luo K, Gong Q. Stress and the brain: Perceived stress mediates the impact of the superior frontal gyrus spontaneous activity on depressive symptoms in late adolescence. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:4982-4993. [PMID: 31397949 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying factors for the prediction of depression is a long-standing research topic in psychiatry and psychology. Perceived stress, which reflects the tendency to appraise one's life situations as stressful and overwhelming, has emerged as a stable predictor for depressive symptoms. However, the neurobiological bases of perceived stress and how perceived stress influences depressive symptoms in the healthy brain remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated these issues in 217 healthy adolescents by estimating the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFFs) via resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. A whole-brain correlation analysis showed that higher levels of perceived stress were associated with greater fALFF in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), which is a core brain region for cognitive control and emotion regulation-related processes. Mediation analysis further indicated that perceived stress mediated the link between the fALFF in the left SFG and depressive symptoms. Importantly, our results remained significant even when excluding the influences of head motion, anxiety, SFG gray matter structure, and school environment. Altogether, our findings suggested that the fALFF in the left SFG is a neurofunctional marker of perceived stress in adolescents and revealed a potential indirect effect of perceived stress on the association between the SFG spontaneous activity and depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Wang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Psychoradiology, Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, China.,Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2018RU011), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yajun Zhao
- School of Sociology and Psychology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2018RU011), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xu Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuli Wang
- Department of Psychoradiology, Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, China
| | - Bochao Cheng
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Kui Luo
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Psychoradiology, Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, China.,Psychoradiology Research Unit of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2018RU011), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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66
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Thijssen S, Collins PF, Luciana M. Pubertal development mediates the association between family environment and brain structure and function in childhood. Dev Psychopathol 2019. [PMID: 31258099 DOI: 10.15154/1412097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Psychosocial acceleration theory suggests that pubertal maturation is accelerated in response to adversity. In addition, suboptimal caregiving accelerates development of the amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex circuit. These findings may be related. Here, we assess whether associations between family environment and measures of the amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex circuit are mediated by pubertal development in more than 2000 9- and 10-year-old children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (http://dx.doi.org/10.15154/1412097). Using structural equation modeling, demographic, child-reported, and parent-reported data on family dynamics were compiled into a higher level family environment latent variable. Magnetic resonance imaging preprocessing and compilations were performed by the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study's data analysis core. Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) thickness, area, white matter fractional anisotropy, amygdala volume, and cingulo-opercular network-amygdala resting-state functional connectivity were assessed. For ACC cortical thickness and ACC fractional anisotropy, significant indirect effects indicated that a stressful family environment relates to more advanced pubertal stage and more mature brain structure. For cingulo-opercular network-amygdala functional connectivity, results indicated a trend in the expected direction. For ACC area, evidence for quadratic mediation by pubertal stage was found. Sex-stratified analyses suggest stronger results for girls. Despite small effect sizes, structural measures of circuits important for emotional behavior are associated with family environment and show initial evidence of accelerated pubertal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Thijssen
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Paul F Collins
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Monica Luciana
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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67
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Fett AKJ, Lemmers-Jansen IL, Krabbendam L. Psychosis and urbanicity: a review of the recent literature from epidemiology to neurourbanism. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2019; 32:232-241. [PMID: 30724751 PMCID: PMC6493678 DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Epidemiological studies associate city living with an elevated psychosis risk. Urban (social/economic) stress and exposure to environmental toxins, pollution or disease agents have been proposed to underlie this association. This review provides an update on the recent evidence (May 2017 - November 2018). RECENT FINDINGS Of 647 screened studies, 17 on: urbanicity-psychosis associations in worldwide high, middle and low-income countries; explanatory mechanisms, including nature exposure, social and economic stressors and genetic risk; urbanicity effects on the brain and coping; and urbanicity and resources, were included. The reviewed evidence revealed complex patterns of urbanicity-psychosis associations with considerable international variation within Europe and between low, middle and high-income countries worldwide. Social and economic stressors (e.g. migration, ethnic density and economic deprivation), nature exposure and access to resources could only explain part of the urbanicity effects. Risk factors differed between countries and between affective and non-affective psychosis. SUMMARY Urbanicity-psychosis associations are heterogeneous and driven by multiple risk and protective factors that seem to act differently in different ethnic groups and countries. Interdisciplinary research combining approaches, for example from experimental neuroscience and epidemiology, are needed to unravel specific urban mechanisms that increase or decrease psychosis risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Kathrin J. Fett
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London, London, UK
- Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychosis Studies, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Imke L.J. Lemmers-Jansen
- Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lydia Krabbendam
- Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychosis Studies, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
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68
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Hill SY, Sharma VK. DRD2 methylation and regional grey matter volumes in young adult offspring from families at ultra-high risk for alcohol dependence. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 286:31-38. [PMID: 30877890 PMCID: PMC6453708 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Dopaminergic alteration is a prominent feature in those with AD and may influence brain development in those with a family history of AD. MRI scans (3T) from 43 HR offspring (27.4 ± 3.6 years) and 45 controls (24.5 ± 4.1 years) provided whole brain (WB) and region of interest (ROI) analyses. The VBM8 toolbox was used for WB analysis (threshold p < 0.005; cluster = 100 voxels); the MarsBaR ROI toolbox provided region of interest data. Pyrosequencing of CpG sites within the DRD2 gene was performed. DRD2 methylation was significantly increased in association with familial high-risk status. Significant familial risk group differences were seen with HR individuals showing reduced volume of the Left Inferior Temporal, Left Fusiform and Left Insula regions relative to LR controls. These regions have previously been linked to social cognition. DRD2 methylation was negatively related to grey matter volumes in these regions. Because these regions, have been previously linked to facial affect perception and social cognition, lesser grey matter volumes in individuals at high-risk for developing AD suggests that neural underpinnings of social cognitive impairment may be a premorbid risk factors for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Y Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O' Hara Street, Pittsburgh 15213, PA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Vinod K Sharma
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O' Hara Street, Pittsburgh 15213, PA, USA
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69
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Hoffman EA, Clark DB, Orendain N, Hudziak J, Squeglia LM, Dowling GJ. Stress exposures, neurodevelopment and health measures in the ABCD study. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 10:100157. [PMID: 30949565 PMCID: PMC6430638 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2019.100157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a large, longitudinal study of brain development and child health, is uniquely positioned to explore relationships among stress, neurodevelopment, and psychiatric symptomatology, including substance use and addiction. There is much we do not know about how adverse experiences affect the developing brain and cognitive, social, emotional, and academic outcomes. The data collected by the ABCD Study will allow the examination of the relationships among these variables in adolescence, including the effects of stressors (e.g., abuse, neglect, household challenges, parental substance use) on psychological adjustment and other stress responses. A comprehensive protocol that includes physical and mental health, substance use, culture and environment, neurocognitive assessments, biospecimen analyses, and structural and functional neuroimaging will provide opportunities for learning about the impacts of stressors on health and other outcomes in the context of adolescent development. This knowledge could lead to the development of interventions that reduce or even reverse the impacts of stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Hoffman
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Corresponding author. 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 5103, MSC 9581, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9591, USA.
| | - Duncan B. Clark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Natalia Orendain
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - James Hudziak
- College of Medicine/Fletcher Allen Health Care, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Lindsay M. Squeglia
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addiction Sciences Division, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Gayathri J. Dowling
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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70
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How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:9851-9858. [PMID: 30275319 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1711548115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now among the most commonly diagnosed chronic psychological dysfunctions of childhood. By varying estimates, it has increased by 30% in the past 20 years. Environmental factors that might explain this increase have been explored. One such factor may be audiovisual media exposure during early childhood. Observational studies in humans have linked exposure to fast-paced television in the first 3 years of life with subsequent attentional deficits in later childhood. Although longitudinal and well controlled, the observational nature of these studies precludes definitive conclusions regarding a causal relationship. As experimental studies in humans are neither ethical nor practical, mouse models of excessive sensory stimulation (ESS) during childhood, akin to the enrichment studies that have previously shown benefits of stimulation in rodents, have been developed. Experimental studies using this model have corroborated that ESS leads to cognitive and behavioral deficits, some of which may be potentially detrimental. Given the ubiquity of media during childhood, these findings in humansand rodents perhaps have important implications for public health.
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