title: Elevated amygdala response to faces following early deprivation.
abstract: A functional neuroimaging study examined the long-term neural correlates of early adverse rearing conditions in humans as they relate to socio-emotional development. Previously institutionalized (PI) children and a same-aged comparison group were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing an Emotional Face Go/Nogo task. PI children showed heightened activity of the amygdala, a region that supports emotional learning and reactivity to emotional stimuli, and corresponding decreases in cortical regions that support perceptual and cognitive functions. Amygdala activity was associated with decreased eye-contact as measured by eye-tracking methods and during a live dyadic interaction. The association between early rearing environment and subsequent eye-contact was mediated by amygdala activity. These data support the hypothesis that early adversity alters human brain development in a way that can persist into childhood, and they offer insight into the socio-emotional disturbances in human behavior following early adversity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA. nlt2002@med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tottenham
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hare
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Millner
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gilhooly
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Zevin
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Casey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002674:Child, Institutionalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019372:Orphanages; D010553:Personality Development; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D012919:Social Behavior