Abstract
Early childhood deprivation is associated with higher rates of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders in adulthood. The impact of childhood deprivation on the adult brain and the extent to which structural changes underpin these effects are currently unknown. To investigate these questions, we utilized MRI data collected from young adults who were exposed to severe deprivation in early childhood in the Romanian orphanages of the Ceaușescu era and then, subsequently adopted by UK families; 67 Romanian adoptees (with between 3 and 41 mo of deprivation) were compared with 21 nondeprived UK adoptees. Romanian adoptees had substantially smaller total brain volumes (TBVs) than nondeprived adoptees (8.6% reduction), and TBV was strongly negatively associated with deprivation duration. This effect persisted after covarying for potential environmental and genetic confounds. In whole-brain analyses, deprived adoptees showed lower right inferior frontal surface area and volume but greater right inferior temporal lobe thickness, surface area, and volume than the nondeprived adoptees. Right medial prefrontal volume and surface area were positively associated with deprivation duration. No deprivation-related effects were observed in limbic regions. Global reductions in TBV statistically mediated the observed relationship between institutionalization and both lower intelligence quotient (IQ) and higher levels of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. The deprivation-related increase in right inferior temporal volume seemed to be compensatory, as it was associated with lower levels of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. We provide compelling evidence that time-limited severe deprivation in the first years of life is related to alterations in adult brain structure, despite extended enrichment in adoptive homes in the intervening years.
Highlights
Childhood deprivation is associated with higher rates of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders in adulthood
Deprivationrelated alterations in total brain volume were associated with lower intelligence quotient and more attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms; alterations in temporal volume seemed compensatory, as they were associated with fewer attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms
Deprivation duration remained a significant predictor of total brain volumes (TBVs) after covarying for physical height [β = −0.20, t [53] = −2.19, P = 0.03], suggesting that effects were not a reflection of more general deprivation-related reductions in overall growth, which were very common in our sample [31]
Summary
Childhood deprivation is associated with higher rates of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders in adulthood. It may leave the human brain vulnerable to the negative effects of adverse psychosocial experiences, such as maltreatment [2] This might be especially true during early childhood, which is characterized by rapid and dynamic changes in brain structure and function [3] that have been hypothesized to increase malleability to environmental influences [4]. Animal experiments support this hypothesis and suggest that the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex are vulnerable to the effects of early life stress [4], perhaps because of their protracted development and close links to the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis [5]. N.T. is a guest editor invited by the Editorial Board
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