Brain, interrupted: alpha/delta EEG ratio in survivors of pre- and post-natal adversity
Raha Hassan1, Harriet L MacMillan2,3, Saroj Saigal3
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Early life adversity impacts brain development differently. Extremely low birth weight (prenatal adversity) is linked to a lower alpha/delta ratio, while child maltreatment (postnatal adversity) is linked to a higher ratio in young people.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Adverse childhood experiences, including prenatal and postnatal adversity, are associated with long-term health and developmental consequences.
- Brain development is particularly sensitive to early life experiences, with potential for lasting impacts on cognitive and emotional functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential long-term effects of prenatal adversity (extremely low birth weight) and postnatal adversity (child maltreatment) on brain development in young adults.
- To examine the alpha/delta ratio as a potential neurophysiological marker differentiating the impacts of these distinct early life adversities.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study design was employed, assessing young adults with histories of extremely low birth weight and child maltreatment against control groups.
- The alpha/delta ratio, a measure of brain activity, was compared between the adversity-exposed groups and their respective controls.
Main Results:
- Young adults born at extremely low birth weight exhibited a lower alpha/delta ratio compared to normal birth weight controls.
- Youth exposed to child maltreatment demonstrated a higher alpha/delta ratio compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal and postnatal adversity appear to have distinct long-term effects on brain development, as indicated by differences in the alpha/delta ratio.
- These divergent neurophysiological changes may underlie the varied functional outcomes associated with different types of early life adversity.
Results:
Young adults born at extremely low birth weight (prenatal adversity; N = 64, Mage = 23.14 years, SDage = 1.26 years) had a lower alpha/delta ratio score compared to normal birth weight controls (N = 76, Mage = 23.60 years, SDage = 1.09 years), while youth exposed to child maltreatment (postnatal adversity; N = 39, Mage = 16.18 years, SDage = 1.15) had a higher alpha/delta ratio compared to controls (N = 23, Mage = 16.00 years, SDage = 1.50 years).
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that being exposed to pre- and post-natal adversity may have different long-term consequences on brain development. We speculate that these differences might be associated with some of the different functional outcomes known to characterize each type of adverse experience.
