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Updated: May 8, 2026

Assessment of Perigenital Sensitivity and Prostatic Mast Cell Activation in a Mouse Model of Neonatal Maternal Separation
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Cumulative impacts of early-life interpersonal adversity and persistent/recurrent pain in children: a longitudinal

Tong En Lim1,2, Peter Humburg3, William R Reay4

  • 1NeuroRecovery Research Hub, School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Pain
|May 7, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Children with persistent/recurrent pain (PRP) and early-life adversity (ELA) show distinct brain changes. The combined PRP + ELA group exhibited unique alterations in brain structure, highlighting cumulative effects on development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Persistent/recurrent pain (PRP) and early-life adversity (ELA) in children are linked to adverse mental health outcomes.
  • Both PRP and ELA are associated with altered brain morphology, but their combined impact is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the distinct and cumulative effects of PRP and ELA on brain structure in children.
  • To identify unique brain signatures associated with combined PRP and ELA exposure.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized structural magnetic resonance imaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development cohort (N=1671).
  • Employed linear mixed models to analyze subcortical volume, cortical thickness, and surface area changes over two years.
  • Applied support vector machine for group classification based on brain measures.

Main Results:

  • The combined PRP + ELA group showed greater reductions in left hippocampal volume and sensorimotor surface area, and increases in left precuneus and right frontal pole surface area over time.
  • The ELA-only group exhibited smaller accumbens volume, thicker right prefrontal cortex, and thinner left postcentral gyrus compared to controls and PRP-only groups.
  • Support vector machine models achieved 66.8% accuracy in group classification using all brain measures.

Conclusions:

  • Findings reveal unique brain signatures associated with the cumulative effects of PRP and ELA in developing children.
  • Identified brain markers may inform targeted interventions for children experiencing combined PRP and ELA.
  • This research underscores the importance of considering the interplay between pain and adversity in pediatric brain development.

Keywords:
ABCD studyChildrenChronic painEarly life adversityLongitudinal designMRI

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