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Structural and Functional Changes of Brain Due to Childhood Maltreatment and Adversity

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Memory in a Social Context

Abstract

From birth, parent–infant interaction modulates fundamental brain processes, whereas more complex psychological development occurs when socializing with peers. Childhood maltreatment markedly increases risks for psychopathology and negative outcomes such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and reduced cognitive abilities. Our earlier studies elucidated potential discernible effects on the brain morphology of exposure to sexual abuse, parental verbal abuse, interparental violence or harsh corporal punishment during childhood on brain morphology, including gray matter volume (GMV) or cortical thickness in addition to the brain developmental alteration.

Further, our recent studies revealed reduced activity in the bilateral striatum and nucleus accumbens during the high monetary reward condition and reduced GMV in the left primary visual cortex in the reactive attachment disorder (RAD) group compared with the typically developed group. These results suggest that dopaminergic dysfunction occurs in the striatum of children and adolescents with RAD, and the visual cortex GMV abnormalities may also be associated with visual stimulus-induced emotion regulation impairments of RAD, leading toward potential future risks for psychopathology.

Brain regions that process and convey the adverse sensory input of the maltreatment may be modified specifically by such experiences. These findings are consistent with preclinical studies showing that sensory cortices are highly plastic structures. However, better understanding of the neural basis of posttraumatic growth may help to find out means of enhancing the resiliency to recover or prevent from traumatic progresses. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings and to clarify the causality and consequences of such neurodevelopmental mechanisms.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported, in part, by research grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan (#15 K12720 to A.T. and #15H03106 to A.T.) and by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST)/Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX). This work was also supported by a grant-in-aid for Scientific Research to A.T. from Japan-U.S. Brain Research Cooperation Program. We are grateful to all the children and parents who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, United Graduate School of Child Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan

    Akemi Tomoda, Koji Shimada & Takashi X. Fujisawa

  2. Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan

    Akemi Tomoda, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Koji Shimada & Takashi X. Fujisawa

  3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, Fukui, Japan

    Akemi Tomoda & Shinichiro Takiguchi

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  1. Akemi Tomoda
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  2. Shinichiro Takiguchi
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  3. Koji Shimada
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  4. Takashi X. Fujisawa
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Correspondence to Akemi Tomoda .

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  1. Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Takashi Tsukiura

  2. Department of Psychology, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan

    Satoshi Umeda

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Tomoda, A., Takiguchi, S., Shimada, K., Fujisawa, T.X. (2017). Structural and Functional Changes of Brain Due to Childhood Maltreatment and Adversity. In: Tsukiura, T., Umeda, S. (eds) Memory in a Social Context. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56591-8_14

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