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Brannan S, Garbe L, Richardson BD. Early life stress induced sex-specific changes in behavior is paralleled by altered locus coeruleus physiology in BALB/cJ mice. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 33:100674. [PMID: 39385751 PMCID: PMC11462065 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2024] [Revised: 09/16/2024] [Accepted: 09/17/2024] [Indexed: 10/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences have been associated with many neurodevelopmental and affective disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, with more exposures increasing negative risk. Sex and genetic background are biological variables involved in adverse psychiatric outcomes due to early life trauma. Females in general have an increased prevalence of stress-related psychopathologies beginning after adolescence, indicative of adolescence being a female-specific sensitive period. To understand the underlying neuronal mechanisms potentially responsible for this relationship between genetic background, sex, stress/trauma, and cognitive/affective behaviors, we assessed behavioral and neuronal changes in a novel animal model of early life stress exposure. Male and female BALB/cJ mice that express elevated basal anxiety-like behaviors and differences in monoamine signaling-associated genes, were exposed to an early life variable stress protocol that combined deprivation in early life with unpredictability in adolescence. Stress exposure produced hyperlocomotion and attention deficits (5-choice serial reaction time task) in male and female mice along with female-specific increased anxiety-like behavior. These behavioral changes were paralleled by reduced excitability of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons, due to resting membrane potential hyperpolarization in males and a female-specific increase in action potential delay time. These data describe a novel interaction between sex, genetic background, and early life stress that results in behavioral changes in clinically relevant domains and potential underlying mechanistic lasting changes in physiological properties of neurons in the LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savannah Brannan
- Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, 62702, USA
| | - Lauren Garbe
- Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, 62702, USA
| | - Ben D. Richardson
- Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, 62702, USA
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Nweze T, Banaschewski T, Ajaelu C, Okoye C, Ezenwa M, Whelan R, Papadopoulos Orfanos D, Bokde AL, Desrivières S, Grigis A, Garavan H, Gowland P, Heinz A, Brühl R, Martinot J, Martinot MP, Artiges E, Nees F, Paus T, Poustka L, Hohmann S, Millenet S, Fröhner JH, Smolka MN, Walter H, Schumann G, Hanson JL. Trajectories of cortical structures associated with stress across adolescence: a bivariate latent change score approach. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:1159-1175. [PMID: 36990655 PMCID: PMC10952720 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress exposure in childhood and adolescence has been linked to reductions in cortical structures and cognitive functioning. However, to date, most of these studies have been cross-sectional, limiting the ability to make long-term inferences, given that most cortical structures continue to develop through adolescence. METHODS Here, we used a subset of the IMAGEN population cohort sample (N = 502; assessment ages: 14, 19, and 22 years; mean age: 21.945 years; SD = 0.610) to understand longitudinally the long-term interrelations between stress, cortical development, and cognitive functioning. To these ends, we first used a latent change score model to examine four bivariate relations - assessing individual differences in change in the relations between adolescent stress exposure and volume, surface area, and cortical thickness of cortical structures, as well as cognitive outcomes. Second, we probed for indirect neurocognitive effects linking stress to cortical brain structures and cognitive functions using rich longitudinal mediation modeling. RESULTS Latent change score modeling showed that greater baseline adolescence stress at age 14 predicted a small reduction in the right anterior cingulate volume (Std. β = -.327, p = .042, 95% CI [-0.643, -0.012]) and right anterior cingulate surface area (Std. β = -.274, p = .038, 95% CI [-0.533, -0.015]) across ages 14-22. These effects were very modest in nature and became nonsignificant after correcting for multiple comparisons. Our longitudinal analyses found no evidence of indirect effects in the two neurocognitive pathways linking adolescent stress to brain and cognitive outcomes. CONCLUSION Findings shed light on the impact of stress on brain reductions, particularly in the prefrontal cortex that have consistently been implicated in the previous cross-sectional studies. However, the magnitude of effects observed in our study is smaller than that has been reported in past cross-sectional work. This suggests that the potential impact of stress during adolescence on brain structures may likely be more modest than previously noted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tochukwu Nweze
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of NigeriaNsukkaNigeria
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty MannheimHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
| | - Cyracius Ajaelu
- Department of PsychologyNnamdi Azikiwe UniversityAwkaNigeria
| | | | - Michael Ezenwa
- Department of PsychologyNnamdi Azikiwe UniversityAwkaNigeria
| | - Robert Whelan
- School of PsychologyGlobal Brain Health Institute, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | | | - Arun L.W. Bokde
- Discipline of PsychiatrySchool of Medicine, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Sylvane Desrivières
- SGDP CentreInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, SGDP Centre, King's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Antoine Grigis
- NeuroSpin, CEAUniversité Paris‐SaclayGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Departments of Psychiatry and PsychologyUniversity of VermontBurlingtonVTUSA
| | - Penny Gowland
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging CentreSchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University ParkNottinghamUK
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCMCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Berlin Institute of HealthBerlinGermany
| | - Rüdiger Brühl
- Physikalisch‐Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)Braunschweig and BerlinGermany
| | - Jean‐Luc Martinot
- CNRS, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
- Centre Borelli, INSERM U1299 ‘Trajectoires Développementales et Psychiatrie’Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris‐SaclayGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
| | - Marie‐Laure Paillère Martinot
- CNRS, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayParisFrance
- Centre Borelli, INSERM U1299 ‘Trajectoires Développementales et Psychiatrie’Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris‐SaclayParisFrance
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pitié‐Salpétriere Hospital, AP‐HPSorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Eric Artiges
- CNRS, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleUniversité Paris‐SaclayEtampesFrance
- Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris‐Saclay, Centre Borelli, INSERM U1299 ‘Trajectoires Développementales et Psychiatrie’EtampesFrance
- CH Bartélémy DurandEtampesFrance
| | - Frauke Nees
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty MannheimHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
- Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty MannheimHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical SociologyUniversity Medical Center Schleswig Holstein, Kiel UniversityKielGermany
| | - Tomáš Paus
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte‐JustineUniversity of MontrealMontrealQCCanada
- Departments of Psychiatry and PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - Luise Poustka
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Centre GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Sarah Hohmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty MannheimHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
| | - Sabina Millenet
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty MannheimHeidelberg UniversityMannheimGermany
| | - Juliane H. Fröhner
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging CenterTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Michael N. Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging CenterTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCMCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Berlin Institute of HealthBerlinGermany
| | - Gunter Schumann
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Department of Psychiatry and NeuroscienceCharité Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Precision Medicine (PONS), Institute for Science and Technology of Brain‐inspired Intelligence (ISTBI)Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jamie L. Hanson
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPAUSA
- Learning Research & Development CenterUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPAUSA
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Massera A, Bonaiuto JJ, Gautier-Martins M, Costa S, Rayson H, Ferrari PF. Longitudinal effects of early psychosocial deprivation on macaque executive function: Evidence from computational modelling. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221993. [PMID: 37040804 PMCID: PMC10089718 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Executive function (EF) describes a group of cognitive processes underlying the organization and control of goal-directed behaviour. Environmental experience appears to play a crucial role in EF development, with early psychosocial deprivation often linked to EF impairment. However, many questions remain concerning the developmental trajectories of EF after exposure to deprivation, especially concerning specific mechanisms. Accordingly, using an 'A-not-B' paradigm and a macaque model of early psychosocial deprivation, we investigated how early deprivation influences EF development longitudinally from adolescence into early adulthood. The contribution of working memory and inhibitory control mechanisms were examined specifically via the fitting of a computational model of decision making to the choice behaviour of each individual. As predicted, peer-reared animals (i.e. those exposed to early psychosocial deprivation) performed worse than mother-reared animals across time, with the fitted model parameters yielding novel insights into the functional decomposition of group-level EF differences underlying task performance. Results indicated differential trajectories of inhibitory control and working memory development in the two groups. Such findings not only extend our knowledge of how early deprivation influences EF longitudinally, but also provide support for the utility of computational modelling to elucidate specific mechanisms linking early psychosocial deprivation to long-term poor outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Massera
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives – Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR5229, Bron 69500, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, 69100, France
| | - James J. Bonaiuto
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives – Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR5229, Bron 69500, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Marine Gautier-Martins
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives – Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR5229, Bron 69500, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Sara Costa
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma 43125, Italy
| | - Holly Rayson
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives – Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR5229, Bron 69500, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Pier Francesco Ferrari
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives – Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR5229, Bron 69500, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, 69100, France
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma 43125, Italy
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Nweze T, Ezenwa M, Ajaelu C, Okoye C. Childhood mental health difficulties mediate the long-term association between early-life adversity at age 3 and poorer cognitive functioning at ages 11 and 14. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:952-965. [PMID: 36751886 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early-life adversity is associated with adverse mental health outcomes and poorer cognitive functioning in later development. However, little is known about how early-life adversity, mental health, and cognition affect one another or how the effects unfold over time. Here, we test the hypothesis that early-life adversity may lead to mental health challenges which in turn have adverse consequences for the development of cognitive abilities. METHODS In a large (N = 13,287) longitudinal (5 wave) sample assessed at ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14, we use both path analysis approach and latent growth curve mediation model to study whether poorer mental health in childhood may mediate the effects of early-life adversity on later working memory and vocabulary outcomes. RESULTS We found a significant total association between early-life adversity and poorer performance on working memory (β = .123, p < .001, [95% CI 0.106, 0.141]) and vocabulary scores (β = -.111, p < .001, [95% CI -0.129, -0.093]). Notably, current and previous mental health mediated a substantial proportion (working memory: 59%; vocabulary: 70%) of these effects. Further longitudinal modeling showed that early-life adversity has an enduring adverse effect on mental health, and that poorer mental health is associated with poorer cognitive performance later on in development. In a complementary analysis using latent growth curve mediation model, we found indirect associations between early-life adversity and working memory through baseline mental health at age 3 (intercept: β = .083, p < .001, [95% CI 0.072, 0.094]) and change in mental health across ages 3-11 (slope: β = -.012, p = .001, [95% CI -0.019, -0.005]). Likewise, baseline mental health at age 3 (intercept: β = -.095, p < .001, [95% CI -0.107, -0.083]) and change in mental health across ages 3-14 (slope: β = .007, p = .001, [95% CI 0.003, 0.011]) significantly and completely mediated the relation between early-life adversity and vocabulary outcome. CONCLUSIONS These findings have important potential clinical and educational implications, because they suggest that academic and cognitive resilience may be supported through early mental health interventions in vulnerable children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tochukwu Nweze
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Michael Ezenwa
- Department of Psychology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
| | - Cyriacus Ajaelu
- Department of Psychology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
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Nweze T, Ezenwa M, Ajaelu C, Hanson JL, Okoye C. Cognitive variations following exposure to childhood adversity: Evidence from a pre-registered, longitudinal study. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 56:101784. [PMID: 36618899 PMCID: PMC9813693 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Different methodological approaches to studying the effects and timing of childhood adversity have been proposed and tested. While childhood adversity has primarily been operationalized through specificity (effects of individual adversity types) and cumulative risk (sum of all adversities reported by an individual) models, dimensional models (probeable through latent class and other cluster analyses) have recently gained traction given that it can overcome some of the limitations of the specificity and cumulative risk approaches. On the other hand, structured lifecourse modelling is a new statistical approach that examines the effects of the timing of adversity exposure on health outcomes by comparing sensitive periods and accumulation hypotheses. In this study, we apply these sets of methodological approaches and theoretical models to better understand the complex effects of childhood adversity on cognitive outcomes. Methods We analysed data obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children for 2965 participants (Male = 1125; Female = 1840). This included parental report of 11 types of childhood adversity when participants were between 8 months and 8.7 years, and performance on inhibition, working memory and emotion recognition neurocognitive tasks when participants were 24 years of age (April 1, 1992-October 31, 2017). We used latent class analysis to classify the participants into subgroups, while we used Kruskal-Wallis test to examine differences in cognitive performance among the adversity subgroups. Additionally, to test whether sensitive period or accumulation models better explain the effects of childhood adversity on cognitive functioning, we carried out separate analyses using structured lifecourse modelling approaches. Findings Latent class analysis showed evidence of 5 classes, namely: low adversity (71.6%), dysfunctional family (9.58%); parental deprivation (9.65%); family poverty (6.07%) and global adversity (3.1%). We observed group differences in cognitive performance among the adversity classes in an inhibition control task, χ2(4) = 15.624, p = 0.003 and working memory task, χ2(4) = 15.986, p = 0.003. Pairwise comparison tests showed that participants in the family poverty class performed significantly worse than those in the low adversity class, for the inhibition control task (p = 0.007) while participants in the global adversity class significantly performed worse than participants in the low adversity class (p = 0.026) and dysfunctional family class (p = 0.034) on the working memory task. A further analysis revealed that the associations between each individual adversity type and cognitive outcomes were mostly consistent with the observed class performance in which they co-occurred. Follow-up analyses suggested that adversity during specific sensitive periods, namely very early childhood and early childhood, explained more variability in these observed associations, compared to the accumulation of adversities. Interpretation These findings suggest that dimensional approaches e.g., latent class analysis or cluster analysis could be good alternatives to studying childhood adversity. Using latent class analysis for example, can help reveal the population distribution of co-occurring adversity patterns among participants who may be at the greatest health risk and thus, enable a targeted intervention. In addition, this approach could be used to investigate specific pathways that link adversity classes to different developmental outcomes that could further complement the specificity or cumulative risk approaches to adversity. On the other hand, findings from a separate analysis using structured lifecourse modelling approaches also highlight the vital developmental timeframes in childhood during which the impact of adversity exposure on cognitive outcomes is greatest, suggesting the need to provide comprehensive academic and mental health support to individuals exposed during those specific timeframes. Funding T.N. received funding from Cambridge Trust (University of Cambridge).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tochukwu Nweze
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Michael Ezenwa
- Department of Psychology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
| | - Cyriacus Ajaelu
- Department of Psychology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
| | - Jamie L. Hanson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Gunnar MR, Bowen M. What was learned from studying the effects of early institutional deprivation. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 210:173272. [PMID: 34509501 PMCID: PMC8501402 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The effect of experiences in infancy on human development is a central question in developmental science. Children raised in orphanage-like institutions for their first year or so of life and then adopted into well-resourced and supportive families provide a lens on the long-term effects of early deprivation and the capacity of children to recover from this type of early adversity. While it is challenging to identify cause-and-effect relations in the study of previously institutionalized individuals, finding results that are consistent with animal experimental studies and the one randomized study of removal from institutional care support the conclusion that many of the outcomes for these children were induced by early institutional deprivation. This review examines the behavioral and neural evidence for altered executive function, declarative memory, affective disorders, reward processing, reactivity to threat, risk-taking and sensation-seeking. We then provide a brief overview of the neurobiological mechanisms that may transduce early institutional experiences into effects on brain and behavior. In addition, we discuss implications for policy and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R Gunnar
- University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, 51 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Maya Bowen
- University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, 51 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Are Mental Health, Family and Childhood Adversity, Substance Use and Conduct Problems Risk Factors for Offending in Autism? J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:2057-2067. [PMID: 32915355 PMCID: PMC8124051 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04622-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mental health difficulties, family and childhood adversity factors, substance use and conduct problems have all been linked to offending behaviour in the general population. However, no large-scale study with comparison groups has investigated these risk factors in relation to autistic offenders. The current research included 40 autistic offenders, 40 autistic non-offenders, 40 typically developed (TD) offenders and 39 TD non-offenders. Conduct problems risk factors differentiated autistic offenders from both non-offender groups (autistic and TD) and mental health risk factors differentiated autistic offenders from both TD groups (offenders and non-offenders). Further research is required to understand more about the role of both conduct problems risk factors in autistic offenders (e.g., age at onset, frequency of behaviours) and the mental health needs of autistic offenders.
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Gómez-Cano S, Zapata-Ospina JP, Arcos-Burgos M, Palacio-Ortiz JD. The role of psychosocial adversity in the aetiology and course of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. REVISTA COLOMBIANA DE PSIQUIATRIA (ENGLISH ED.) 2021; 52:S0034-7450(21)00048-2. [PMID: 33849717 DOI: 10.1016/j.rcp.2021.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has genetic and environmental aetiological factors. There are few publications on the environmental factors. The objective of this review is to present the role of psychosocial adversity in the aetiology and course of ADHD. METHODS A search was carried out in the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, SciELO, ClinicalKey, EMBASE, Lilacs, OVID, APA and PsycNET. English and Spanish were selected without being limited by type of study or year of publication. Finally, a qualitative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS ADHD development could be related to exposure to adverse factors in the family, school or social environment. It has been proposed as an explanatory mechanism that adversity interacts with genetic variants and leads to neurobiological changes. There may also be a gene-environment correlation whereby individual hereditary characteristics increase the risk of exposure to adversity, and indirectly increase the probability of developing ADHD. Research on psychosocial adversity represents a big challenge, not only due to the complexity of its construct, but also to the effect of subjective perception of a given event. CONCLUSIONS ADHD aetiology is complex and involves the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors, in which these factors correlate and cause the disorder. The study of the role of psychosocial adversity in ADHD is fundamental, but it remains a task that entails great difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujey Gómez-Cano
- Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación en Psiquiatría (GIPSI), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Juan Pablo Zapata-Ospina
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Mauricio Arcos-Burgos
- Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación en Psiquiatría (GIPSI), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Juan David Palacio-Ortiz
- Hospital San Vicente de Paúl, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación en Psiquiatría (GIPSI), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
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Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes that support flexible goal pursuit. Healthy development of EFs during childhood is critical for later life outcomes including health, wealth and educational attainment. As such it is crucial to understand how EFs can be supported and protected against insult. Here we examine whether there are sensitive periods in the development of EFs, by drawing on deprivation and enrichment studies in humans. While there is suggestive evidence that pre-6 months of age constitutes a sensitive period for EF development, given the higher-order nature of EF, we argue for the possibility of multiple sensitive periods of constituent processes. We identify relevant future questions and outline a research agenda to systematically test for sensitive period in EF development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Thompson
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, London, WC1H 0AP, UK
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