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A.E. Bennett Research Award. Developmental traumatology. Part II: Brain development
M D De Bellis1, M S Keshavan, D B Clark
1Developmental Traumatology Laboratory, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA 15213, USA.
Biological Psychiatry
|June 1, 1999
Summary
Childhood maltreatment and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are linked to altered brain development in children. Brain structure differences, including reduced brain volume and corpus callosum size, correlate with trauma severity and PTSD symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Maltreated children with PTSD show altered biological stress systems.
- Childhood trauma may adversely impact brain development due to stress hormone levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain development alterations in maltreated children with PTSD compared to controls.
- To examine the relationship between trauma characteristics and brain structure in pediatric PTSD.
Main Methods:
- 44 maltreated children with PTSD and 61 controls underwent psychiatric, neuropsychological, and MRI assessments.
- Anatomical MRI scans were used to measure brain volumes and structures.
Main Results:
- PTSD subjects had smaller intracranial and cerebral volumes.
- Reduced corpus callosum area and enlarged ventricles were observed in PTSD group.
- Brain volume correlated with age of onset and duration of abuse; symptoms correlated with ventricular and brain volumes.
Conclusions:
- Childhood maltreatment and associated PTSD contribute to adverse brain development.
- Specific brain structural changes are associated with trauma severity and PTSD symptomology in children.