Premium
Increased activation of the fear neurocircuitry in children exposed to violence
Author(s) -
Rooij Sanne J. H.,
Smith Ryan D.,
Stenson Anaïs F.,
Ely Timothy D.,
Yang Xinyi,
Tottenham Nim,
Stevens Jennifer S.,
Jovanovic Tanja
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.22994
Subject(s) - amygdala , psychology , hippocampus , ventromedial prefrontal cortex , functional magnetic resonance imaging , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , brain structure and function , prefrontal cortex , clinical psychology , brain size , neuroimaging , medicine , developmental psychology , magnetic resonance imaging , cognition , radiology
Most studies investigating the effect of childhood trauma on the brain are retrospective and mainly focus on maltreatment, whereas different types of trauma exposure such as growing up in a violent neighborhood, as well as developmental stage, could have differential effects on brain structure and function. The current magnetic resonance imaging study assessed the effect of trauma exposure broadly and violence exposure more specifically, as well as developmental stage on the fear neurocircuitry in 8‐ to 14‐year‐old children and adolescents ( N = 69). We observed reduced hippocampal and increased amygdala volume with increasing levels of trauma exposure. Second, higher levels of violence exposure were associated with increased activation in the amygdala, hippocampus, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex during emotional response inhibition. This association was specifically observed in children younger than 10 years. Finally, increased functional connectivity between the amygdala and brainstem was associated with higher levels of violence exposure. Based on the current findings, it could be hypothesized that trauma exposure during childhood results in structural changes that are associated with later risk for psychiatric disorders. At the same time, it could be postulated that growing up in an unsafe environment leads the brain to functionally adapt to this situation in a way that promotes survival, where the long‐term costs or consequences of these adaptations are largely unknown and an area for future investigations.