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Adverse Life Experiences and Brain Function: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings
Niki Hosseini-Kamkar1,2, Mahdieh Varvani Farahani3, Maja Nikolic2
1Now with: Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
JAMA Network Open
|November 1, 2023
Summary
Adverse life experiences alter adult brain reactivity, increasing amygdala activity and decreasing prefrontal cortex activity. These changes may explain enduring susceptibility to mental health problems following trauma.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Adverse life experiences are linked to mental health issues, but human studies on their effect on brain function have yielded mixed results.
- Previous meta-analyses using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) have not consistently identified associations between adverse events and brain function.
Approach:
- This study employed multilevel kernel density analyses (MKDA), a meta-analytic method more robust to small sample sizes and study variations than ALE.
- Searches across major databases (PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science) identified 83 task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies involving 5242 participants.
- Studies focused on emotion processing, memory, inhibitory control, and reward processing, including whole-brain coordinate data.
Key Points:
- Adversity exposure was significantly associated with heightened amygdala reactivity and diminished prefrontal cortex reactivity across various task domains.
- These altered brain responses were predominantly observed in adult participants and were most pronounced in those exposed to severe threat and trauma.
- The findings were based on 801 coordinates extracted from the included fMRI studies.
Conclusions:
- Prior exposure to adversity is linked to altered brain reactivity in adults, impacting their response to various challenges.
- These neurobiological changes may underlie the reduced ability to cope with stressors and the increased vulnerability to mental health problems observed after adversity.
- The results highlight the enduring impact of adverse experiences on brain function and mental health.
