title: Childhood maltreatment and psychopathology affect brain development during adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The hippocampus and amygdala have received much attention with regard to the deleterious effects of childhood maltreatment. However, it is not known if and when these effects emerge during adolescence and whether comorbid psychopathology is more likely to explain these effects. This study investigated whether childhood maltreatment was associated with hippocampal and amygdala development from early to midadolescence and whether the experience of psychopathology during this period mediated the relation.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred seventeen (60 male) adolescents, recruited as part of a broader adolescent development study, participated in magnetic resonance imaging assessments during early and midadolescence (mean age at baseline 12.62 years, SD 0.44 years; mean follow-up period 3.78 years, SD 0.20 years), and completed self-report measurements of childhood maltreatment and diagnostic interviews assessing DSM-IV mental disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Childhood maltreatment was associated with larger baseline left hippocampal volumes and retarded growth of the left amygdala over time and was indirectly associated, through the experience of psychopathology, with retarded growth of the left hippocampus and accelerated growth of the left amygdala over time. Exploratory cortical analysis showed that maltreatment influenced thickening of the superior parietal region through the experience of psychopathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood maltreatment was associated with altered brain development during adolescence. The experience of Axis I psychopathology during adolescence may be one mechanism by which childhood maltreatment has continuing effects on brain development during the adolescent years. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention for individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment.
authors: Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, the University of Melbourne, and Melbourne Health, Canada.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Whittle
authors: Meg
authors: M
authors: Dennison
authors: Nandita
authors: N
authors: Vijayakumar
authors: Julian G
authors: JG
authors: Simmons
authors: Murat
authors: M
authors: Yücel
authors: Dan I
authors: DI
authors: Lubman
authors: Christos
authors: C
authors: Pantelis
authors: Nicholas B
authors: NB
authors: Allen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D011599:Psychopathology
keywords: adolescence; amygdala; brain development; hippocampus; maltreatment