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Altered water diffusivity in cortical association tracts in children with early deprivation identified with
Rajkumar Munian Govindan1, Michael E Behen, Emily Helder
1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Insights
Children with early deprivation (ED) show reduced white matter integrity in key brain areas. These neuroanatomical differences correlate with time spent in institutional care and behavioral symptoms like inattention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Radiology
Background:
- Institutional rearing is linked to neurocognitive and behavioral issues.
- Early social deprivation (ED) is hypothesized to cause abnormal neurologic development.
- Human brain anatomy's response to ED requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of early deprivation on white matter brain anatomy in children.
- To compare white matter integrity in children with institutional care histories versus healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) for neuroimaging analysis.
- Employed magnetic resonance imaging diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- Conducted comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations.
Main Results:
- Children with ED histories exhibited reduced white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) in frontal, temporal, and parietal regions.
- Abnormalities were observed in the uncinate and superior longitudinal fasciculi.
- Reduced FA correlated with duration of institutionalization and scores for inattention and hyperactivity.
Conclusions:
- Early institutional deprivation is associated with significant white matter abnormalities in children.
- These findings support the link between ED, limbic/paralimbic system dysfunction, and behavioral outcomes.
- Multiple factors within institutional care likely contribute to observed neuroanatomical changes.
Abstract:
Institutional rearing is associated with neurocognitive and behavioral difficulties. Although such difficulties are thought to reflect abnormal neurologic development resulting from early social deprivation (ED) and there is evidence for functional abnormality in children with histories of ED, the impact of early deprivation on brain anatomy has received little study in humans. The present study utilized an objective and sensitive neuroimaging analysis technique (Tract-Based Spatial Statistics) to evaluate white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity in a group of right-handed children with histories of ED (n = 17; mean age = 10.9 + 2.6 years) as compared with age-matched healthy controls (n = 15; mean age = 11.7 + or - 2.8 years). Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging diffusion tensor imaging sequences and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Results revealed reduced FA in frontal, temporal, and parietal white matter including components of uncinate and superior longitudinal fasciculi, in children with histories of ED, providing further support for limbic and paralimbic abnormalities in children with such histories. Furthermore, white matter abnormalities were associated with duration of time in the orphanage and with inattention and hyperactivity scores. It is suspected that the observed white matter abnormalities are associated with multiple depriving factors (e.g., poor prenatal care, postnatal stress) associated with institutional caregiving.
