Childhood violence exposure and social deprivation predict adolescent amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex white matter connectivity

Goetschius, Leigh G.; Hein, Tyler C.; Mitchell, Colter; Lopez-Duran, Nestor L.; McLoyd, Vonnie C.; Brooks‐Gunn, Jeanne; McLanahan, Sara; Hyde, Luke W.; Monk, Christopher S.

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100849

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…It may be that an examination of initial levels (i.e., harsh parenting in early childhood) versus changes thereafter (i.e., the trajectory of harsh parenting across childhood) will reveal more complex effects of adversity on corticolimbic function during socioemotional processing. This explicit focus on evaluating the timing of harsh parenting effects on corticolimbic function builds on previous work in this sample that has examined the cumulative (i.e., across childhood) effects of threat- and deprivation-related experiences of adversity on amygdala–prefrontal white matter connectivity (Goetschius, Hein, Mitchell et al, 2020), amygdala reactivity during socioemotional processing (Hein et al, 2020), and network-level resting-state functional connectivity (Goetschius, Hein, McLanahan et al, 2020)…”

Section: Environmental Effects On Corticolimbic Function: Considerati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective longitudinal associations between harsh parenting and corticolimbic function during adolescence

et al. 2021

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Childhood adversity is thought to undermine youth socioemotional development via altered neural function within regions that support emotion processing. These effects are hypothesized to be developmentally specific, with adversity in early childhood sculpting subcortical structures (e.g., amygdala) and adversity during adolescence impacting later-developing structures (e.g., prefrontal cortex; PFC). However, little work has tested these theories directly in humans. Using prospectively collected longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) (N = 4,144) and neuroimaging data from a subsample of families recruited in adolescence (N = 162), the current study investigated the trajectory of harsh parenting across childhood (i.e., ages 3 to 9) and how initial levels versus changes in harsh parenting across childhood were associated with corticolimbic activation and connectivity during socioemotional processing. Harsh parenting in early childhood (indexed by the intercept term from a linear growth curve model) was associated with less amygdala, but not PFC, reactivity to angry facial expressions. In contrast, change in harsh parenting across childhood (indexed by the slope term) was associated with less PFC, but not amygdala, activation to angry faces. Increases in, but not initial levels of, harsh parenting were also associated with stronger positive amygdala–PFC connectivity during angry face processing.

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Section: Environmental Effects On Corticolimbic Function: Considerati...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospective longitudinal associations between harsh parenting and corticolimbic function during adolescence

et al. 2021

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“…While frequently attributed to processes such as increased allostatic load [ 169 ], it may also be that exposure to multiple adversities up- or downregulates several neurodevelopmental processes that potentiate one another to exacerbate psychopathology risk. To this end, a recent study investigating white matter connectivity differences among adolescents who experienced adversity in childhood reported that, although there were no specific differences been individuals who experienced threat compared to social deprivation, there was a significant interaction between exposure to violence and social deprivation such that violence exposure only predicted white matter differences when social deprivation was high, but not when social deprivation was at mean or low levels [ 170 ]. This study illustrates that multiple co-occurring adversities or singular exposures can be studied through a dimensional lens to more comprehensively understand how dimensions of ELA are associated with the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychopathology in childhood and adolescence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of early life adversity on children’s mental health and cognitive functioning

2022

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Emerging evidence suggests that partially distinct mechanisms may underlie the association between different dimensions of early life adversity (ELA) and psychopathology in children and adolescents. While there is minimal evidence that different types of ELA are associated with specific psychopathology outcomes, there are partially unique cognitive and socioemotional consequences of specific dimensions of ELA that increase transdiagnostic risk of mental health problems across the internalizing and externalizing spectra. The current review provides an overview of recent findings examining the cognitive (e.g., language, executive function), socioemotional (e.g., attention bias, emotion regulation), and mental health correlates of ELA along the dimensions of threat/harshness, deprivation, and unpredictability. We underscore similarities and differences in the mechanisms connecting different dimensions of ELA to particular mental health outcomes, and identify gaps and future directions that may help to clarify inconsistencies in the literature. This review focuses on childhood and adolescence, periods of exquisite neurobiological change and sensitivity to the environment. The utility of dimensional models of ELA in better understanding the mechanistic pathways towards the expression of psychopathology is discussed, with the review supporting the value of such models in better understanding the developmental sequelae associated with ELA. Integration of dimensional models of ELA with existing models focused on psychiatric classification and biobehavioral mechanisms may advance our understanding of the etiology, phenomenology, and treatment of mental health difficulties in children and youth.

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“…A similar study examined how brain connectivity in adolescence might be affected by both childhood violence exposure and social deprivation (e.g., neglect, poor community cohesion) (Goetschius et al., 2020). The authors found that the combination of childhood violence exposure and social disadvantage correlated with reduced connectivity of the amygdala with the OFC and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (i.e., the salience detection and mentalizing networks, respectively).…”

Section: Part I: Biopsychosocial Pathways To Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

Breaking the Cycle of Violent Crime and Punishment: The Promise of Neuronormalization

Denson

2020

Social Issues Policy Review

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Violent crime elicits demand for punishment from the public, which can influence policy toward offenders. Paradoxically, harsh punishments such as incarceration often increase offending rather than deter it, which produces a cycle of violent crime and punishment. Violent offenders frequently possess risk factors that influence brain structure and function. These risk factors are genetic predisposition toward violence, adverse childhood experiences, alcohol use, and traumatic brain injury. The alteration in brain structure and function appears primarily in networks involved in threat detection (e.g., biased sensitivity to provocation), self-regulation (e.g., control over anger and aggressive urges), and social cognition (e.g., thinking about others' motives). If there is no treatment in people with these risk factors, brain responses to anger provocation will likely increase risk for reactive aggression. As a method to circumvent the cycle of violence and punishment, this review discusses the notion of normalizing brain responses to provocation such that they resemble responses of nonviolent people. A growing body of research suggests that brain normalization can occur by using biomedical instruments such as pharmaceuticals and brain stimulation to enhance moral behavior. Normalizing brain function via moral bioenhancement should inhibit reactive aggression. If such normalization occurs, there is no violent act to punish and hence the cycle of crime and punishment is broken. Policy makers may consider investing in trials of moral bioenhancement that could support existing treatments to reduce violence and recidivism and their associated costs.

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Childhood violence exposure and social deprivation predict adolescent amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex white matter connectivity

Cited by 18 publications

References 64 publications

Prospective longitudinal associations between harsh parenting and corticolimbic function during adolescence

Prospective longitudinal associations between harsh parenting and corticolimbic function during adolescence

The effects of early life adversity on children’s mental health and cognitive functioning

Breaking the Cycle of Violent Crime and Punishment: The Promise of Neuronormalization

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