6.3 Effects of Trauma Exposure on Fear Inhibition Circuitry in the Developing Brain

Abstract

Impaired inhibition is increasingly considered a biomarker of PTSD, and prior research has demonstrated a possible shared neural circuitry for fear and response inhibition in traumatized adults. Childhood trauma has been associated with impaired inhibition; however, most neuroimaging studies have been retrospective. The current study investigated the effects of violence exposure on brain activation during an emotional response inhibition task in children and whether altered brain response was associated with impaired fear inhibition.