Extreme early-life deprivation, even when followed by years of childhood environmental enrichment, is associated with structural brain changes in young adulthood, according to a study. Adversity experienced early in life has been linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders in adulthood, but the effects on adult brain structure are unclear. Nuria Mackes, Edmund Sonuga-Barke, and colleagues examined MRI data from 67 23- to 28-year-old individuals who had experienced severe deprivation in orphanages, mostly starting in the first few weeks of life and lasting 3 -41 months, before being adopted into nurturing families in the United Kingdom. The control group consisted of 21 23- to 26-year-old, nondeprived individuals who were also adopted within the United Kingdom. Early-life deprivation was associated with an 8.57% reduction in total brain volume and structural changes in inferior frontal and inferior temporal areas in the brain's right hemisphere. The reduction in total brain volume mediated the relationship between institutionalization and lower IQ and higher levels of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. According to the authors, the findings suggest that even years of exposure to nurturing environments in childhood and adolescence may be insufficient to overcome the adverse effects of early-life deprivation on brain structure.
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Article #19-11264: "Early childhood deprivation is associated with alterations in adult brain structure despite subsequent environmental enrichment" by Nuria Mackes et al.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Louise Pratt, King's College, London, UNITED KINGDOM; e-mail: < louise.a.pratt@kcl.ac.uk >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences