Adverse Childhood Experiences Underlie Race-Related Differences in Neural Reactivity to Stress

Black individuals are disproportionately exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in comparison to White individuals, including greater violence exposure, neighborhood disadvantage, and poverty. Neural circuitry that includes the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (ventromedial, dorsomedial, and dorsolateral), and inferior parietal lobule support stress-related emotional processes. ACEs may modify emotion-related activity within these brain regions, which, in turn, may modulate emotional behavior. However, the extent to which ACEs underlie race-related differences in emotional function remains to be determined. Therefore, this study investigated whether stress-elicited brain activity varies with race-related differences in ACEs. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 301 Black and White participants were acquired during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Violence exposure, neighborhood disadvantage, and family income were measured during adolescence to assess ACEs, whereas stress-elicited brain function was assessed in emerging adulthood. Behavioral (stress ratings) and psychophysiological data (skin conductance and heart rate) were collected alongside fMRI. Race-related differences were observed in behavioral (stress ratings), psychophysiological (heart rate), and neural (fMRI) responses to stress. Further, a significant relationship was observed between stress reactivity and ACEs. Importantly, adjusting for ACEs reduced race-related differences in stress reactivity (stress ratings and brain function), suggesting that the neurobehavioral response to stress may be shaped, in part, by ACEs. These findings provide new insight into the socioenvironmental factors that influence emotional function.