title: Early adversity, neural development, and inflammation.
abstract: Early adversity is a risk factor for poor mental and physical health. Although altered neural development is believed to be one pathway linking early adversity to psychopathology, it has rarely been considered a pathway linking early adversity to poor physical health. However, this is a viable pathway because the central nervous system is known to interact with the immune system via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS). In support of this pathway, early adversity has been linked to changes in neural development (particularly of the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex), HPA axis and ANS dysregulation, and higher levels of inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, can be detrimental to physical health when prolonged. In this review, we present these studies and consider how altered neural development may be a pathway by which early adversity increases inflammation and thus risk for adverse physical health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. jchiang18@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Jessica J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Shelley E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA.|Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Julienne E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bower
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008016:Life Change Events; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: amygdala; autonomic nervous system; early adversity; hippocampus; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; inflammation; prefrontal cortex