Association of childhood trauma with cognitive function in healthy adults: a pilot study

Matthias Majer,William C Reeves,Jin-Mann S Lin,Urs M Nater,Lucile Capuron

doi:10.1186/1471-2377-10-61

Abstract

BackgroundAnimal and human studies suggest that stress experienced early in life has detrimental consequences on brain development, including brain regions involved in cognitive function. Cognitive changes are cardinal features of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Early-life trauma is a major risk factor for these disorders. Only few studies have measured the long-term consequences of childhood trauma on cognitive function in healthy adults.MethodsIn this pilot study, we investigated the relationship between childhood trauma exposure and cognitive function in 47 healthy adults, who were identified as part of a larger study from the general population in Wichita, KS. We used the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and the Wide-Range-Achievement-Test (WRAT-3) to examine cognitive function and individual achievement. Type and severity of childhood trauma was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression on CANTAB measures with primary predictors (CTQ scales) and potential confounders (age, sex, education, income).ResultsSpecific CTQ scales were significantly associated with measures of cognitive function. Emotional abuse was associated with impaired spatial working memory performance. Physical neglect correlated with impaired spatial working memory and pattern recognition memory. Sexual abuse and physical neglect were negatively associated with WRAT-3 scores. However, the association did not reach the significance level of p < 0.01.ConclusionsOur results suggest that physical neglect and emotional abuse might be associated with memory deficits in adulthood, which in turn might pose a risk factor for the development of psychopathology.

Highlights

Animal and human studies suggest that stress experienced early in life has detrimental consequences on brain development, including brain regions involved in cognitive function
Mean latencies to correct responses in the Rapid Visual Information Processing test (Table 4). This pilot study found significant associations between level of childhood trauma exposure and cognitive performance in Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) measures of long-term and working memory in a group of healthy adults, with no significant symptoms of depression or anxiety, that were randomly selected from the general population
The current findings suggest that memory deficits are associated with childhood trauma exposure in healthy adults

Summary

Introduction

Animal and human studies suggest that stress experienced early in life has detrimental consequences on brain development, including brain regions involved in cognitive function. Traumatic experiences early in life, such as child abuse, neglect and parental loss, are major risk factors for the development of a range of psychiatric and somatic disorders in adulthood, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) [1,2,3]. Several of the disorders that have been linked to childhood trauma are characterized by profound cognitive impairment, including depression, PTSD, and CFS. There is direct evidence from animal models that early-life stress induces structural, functional, and epigenetic changes in brain regions involved in cognition, most notably the hippocampus [see [4]]. Whether or not early-life stress is associated with long-term cognitive deficits in humans is largely unknown

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion