Skip to main content

PACEsConnectionCommunitiesMichigan ACEs Action (MI)

Michigan ACEs Action (MI)

Healthy and resilient kids, families, and communities are the foundation for a flourishing, vibrant region. We are dedicated to creating a trauma-informed Michigan and working together across sectors to share our efforts in building resilience and reducing toxic stress for Michigan children and families.

Family Struggles May Affect Boys' Brain Development (Healthday.com)

Mental health symptoms, reduced gray matter volume noted in study

 

MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Family problems early in life might raise boys' risk of depression and anxiety, which is also tied to altered brain structure in their late teens and early 20s, a new study suggests.

But the findings have a bright side, one researcher said.

 

"Early life experiences have an effect on the brain," said Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, president of The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation in New York City. But "what is most interesting and exciting about this study is that just as trauma can have a negative effect on the brain, positive experiences -- including therapy and other interventions -- can have a positive effect on the young brain and ultimately affect the level of functioning of the individual," he said. Borenstein was not involved in the new research.

 

The British study was led by Edward Barker, of King's College London, and included nearly 500 males, ages 18 to 21. The mothers of the young men provided the researchers with information about family difficulties experienced by their sons between birth and age 6.

 

While this study couldn't prove cause and effect, those boys who faced family problems during those early years were more likely to have depression and anxiety at ages 7, 10 and 13, the researchers said. They also were more likely to have lower volume of a form of tissue known as "gray matter" in the brain by the time they reached ages 18 to 21.

 

"The finding that childhood experiences can affect the brain highlights early childhood not only as a period of vulnerability but also a period of opportunity," Barker's team wrote. 

Agreeing with Borenstein, they said that "interventions toward adversity might help" prevent mental health issues and/or neurological changes in young adults.

 

Dr. Matthew Lorber is acting director of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He called the study "important, because it stresses the need for early interventions for children growing up in high-stress environments."

 

However, he added that "the study is limited in that it only looked at males, and should be repeated for females to compare."

 

The findings were published online Aug. 17 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

 

Add Comment

Comments (3)

Newest · Oldest · Popular

So far we know of three major critical time periods in brain development during childhood (birth to  three hippocampus/amygdala - fear circuits ; around 8-10 corpus collusum that connects the Right - emotional, non-verbal processing brain with the left Logical Processing and Verbal Brain ; and early adolescence where the prefrontal cortices develop - higher executive functioning and planning along with impulse control).  The major contributor to this work and knowledge is Dr. Martin Teicher an awesome Harvard Child Psychiatrist who's work is all about child abuse and neglect and how this affects the developing brain. 

 

One of the articles I love is "The Wounds that Won't Heal".  Here is the Link to an awesome Review article, a little old now, we know even more but still awesome:   http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/2...logy_of_Child_Abuse/

Last edited by Former Member

Since we know trauma and ongoing stress have a significant impact on a young brain, it is imperative we intervene. Much of our intervention is of course focused on the child, however; we must also focus on the adults in that child's life. Many times the chaos can be mediated by implementing interventions and support for the adult/parent in the home. By helping the parent chaos may be minimized.

 

 

Copyright Β© 2023, PACEsConnection. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×