Early life stress and morphometry of the adult anterior cingulate cortex and caudate nuclei.
BACKGROUND
Early life stress (ELS) is linked to adult psychopathology and may contribute to long-term brain alterations, as suggested by studies of women who suffered childhood sexual abuse. We examine whether reported adverse ELS defined as stressful and/or traumatic adverse childhood events (ACEs) is associated with smaller limbic and basal ganglia volumes.


METHODS
265 healthy Australian men and women without psychopathology or brain disorders were studied. ACEs were assessed by the ELSQ and current emotional state by the DASS. Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), hippocampus, amygdala, and caudate nucleus volumes were measured from T1-weighted MRI. Analyses examined ROI volumetric associations with reported ACEs and DASS scores.


RESULTS
Participants with greater than two ACEs had smaller ACC and caudate nuclei than those without ACEs. A significant association between total ACEs and ROI volumes for these structures was observed. Regression analysis also revealed that ELS was more strongly associated than current emotional state (DASS) with these ROI volumes.


CONCLUSIONS
Reported ELS is associated with smaller ACC and caudate volumes, but not the hippocampal or amygdala volumes. The reasons for these brain effects are not entirely clear, but may reflect the influence of early stress and traumatic events on the developing brain.
Cohen
Ronald A
RA
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. ronald_cohen@brown.edu
Grieve
Stuart
S
Hoth
Karin F
KF
Paul
Robert H
RH
Sweet
Lawrence
L
Tate
David
D
Gunstad
John
J
Stroud
Laura
L
McCaffery
Jeanne
J
Hitsman
Brian
B
Niaura
Raymond
R
Clark
C Richard
CR
McFarlane
Alexander
A
MacFarlane
Alexander
A
Bryant
Richard
R
Gordon
Evian
E
Williams
Leanne M
LM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008016:Life Change Events; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012016:Reference Values; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires