Toward Equity: Understanding the Impact of Environmental Stressors on Neural–Immune Interactions During Childhood Development

Abstract

Around 60% of children and youth in the United States are exposed to violence, crime, or abuse in their communities, either directly or indirectly ( 1 Finkelhor D. Turner H. Ormrod R. Hamby S.L. Violence, abuse, and crime exposure in a national sample of children and youth. Pediatrics. 2009; 124: 1411-1423 Crossref PubMed Scopus (655) Google Scholar ). In urban areas, the prevalence jumps to 96%, with significantly increased likelihood for Latinx and African American or Black youth compared with White youth ( 2 Zimmerman G.M. Messner S.F. Individual, family background, and contextual explanations of racial and ethnic disparities in youths’ exposure to violence. Am J Public Health. 2013; 103: 435-442 Crossref PubMed Scopus (98) Google Scholar ). In the cult TV show The Wire, drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield exposes countless youth to various forms of violence, while local police, educators, and politicians fail to provide consistent support to definitively end the cycle. While a fictional portrayal, this depiction provides a fair representation of the rife exposure to violence faced by America’s urban youth and the lack of community support infrastructure. Almost 20 years after the release of The Wire, Baltimore’s murder rate has only increased, and state-level budget cuts continue to detract from community revitalization and enrichment programs, safe schooling facilities, and violence prevention programs, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color. SEE CORRESPONDING ARTICLE ON PAGE 165 SEE CORRESPONDING ARTICLE ON PAGE 165 Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Central Executive Network Moderates the Relationship Between Neighborhood Violence and Proinflammatory Phenotype in ChildrenBiological PsychiatryVol. 90Issue 3PreviewNeighborhood violence increases children’s risk for a variety of health problems. Yet, little is known about biological pathways involved or neural mechanisms that might render children more or less vulnerable. Here, we address these questions by considering whether neighborhood violence is associated with the expression of a proinflammatory phenotype and whether this relationship is moderated by resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the central executive network (CEN). Full-Text PDF