Brazilian study involving 795 participants between 6 and 21 years detailed how abuse in childhood affect the structural development of the brain, particularly the hippocampus-an essential region for memory, learning and emotional regulation. The results were published in the magazine Psychological Medicine from the University of Cambridge.
The authors analyzed the participants' magnetic resonance imaging in three distinct moments. Data were used from Brazilian High-Risk Cohort (BHRC), or high-risk Brazilian cohort for mental disorders. The project, which is linked to the Mental Health Research and Innovation Center (CISM), is one of the largest longitudinal studies in Latin America on mental development in children.
CISM is a special project of FAPESP based at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine (FM-USP) and also has support from the Industrial Bank of Brazil (BIB).
In addition to analyzing imaging exams, the researchers combined self -appreciation and information provided by participants' parents to identify trauma exposure levels. The results point to the persistent impacts of child trauma throughout adolescence.
It was observed that high levels of exposure to trauma during childhood are associated with a lasting reduction in the volume of the right hippocampus. This effect was found even after adjustment to other factors, such as the presence of mental disorders and genetic characteristics that influence hippocampal volume. The left hippocampus was less susceptible to structural changes, indicating differences in vulnerability between the two sides of the brain.
The hippocampus plays a crucial role in cognitive functions and how the brain responds to stress. Damage in this region can contribute to long -term emotional and cognitive problems such as learning difficulty, increased stress vulnerability and greater risk of disorders such as depression and anxiety.
“We realize that children's abuse trigger significant changes in the right hippocamp, which remain consistent over time, even in clinical or emotional scenarios,” explains Victoria Doretto, first author of the article and collaborating psychiatrist of the Institute of Psychiatry (IPQ) of the FM-USP Clinic Hospital.
The data also indicate that abuse unevenly affect children, depending on the intensity and frequency of trauma.
The work is the result of Doretto's doctoral dissertation, supported by FAPESP and guided by FM-USP teachers Constantino Miguel and Pedro Mario Pan-both CISM researchers.
Early intervention
For Doretto, the results reinforce the importance of early interventions, including prevention and treatment strategies, to minimize the negative effects of trauma on children exposed to abuse.
“The findings reinforce the urgency of public policies that promote safe environments for child development and interventions that mitigate the damage caused by early trauma,” he says.
The study expands the understanding of the effects of child trauma, describing the negative impacts of stress on mental health and the development of youth.
By reinforcing the importance of early interventions, the research still opens the way for further investigations that make continuous assessments of abuse over time and eliminate possible biases in the reports provided by parents and participants.
*With information from Mainary Nascimento, from CISM.
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This content was originally published in childhood abuse can affect memory and learning, says study on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil