Intrinsic brain abnormalities in young healthy adults with childhood trauma: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study of regional homogeneity and functional connectivity.
OBJECTIVE
Childhood trauma confers great risk for the development of multiple psychiatric disorders; however, the neural basis for this association is still unknown. The present resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed to detect the effects of childhood trauma on brain function in a group of young healthy adults.


METHODS
In total, 24 healthy individuals with childhood trauma and 24 age- and sex-matched adults without childhood trauma were recruited. Each participant underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Intra-regional brain activity was evaluated by regional homogeneity method and compared between groups. Areas with altered regional homogeneity were further selected as seeds in subsequent functional connectivity analysis. Statistical analyses were performed by setting current depression and anxiety as covariates.


RESULTS
Adults with childhood trauma showed decreased regional homogeneity in bilateral superior temporal gyrus and insula, and the right inferior parietal lobule, as well as increased regional homogeneity in the right cerebellum and left middle temporal gyrus. Regional homogeneity values in the left middle temporal gyrus, right insula and right cerebellum were correlated with childhood trauma severity. In addition, individuals with childhood trauma also exhibited altered default mode network, cerebellum-default mode network and insula-default mode network connectivity when the left middle temporal gyrus, right cerebellum and right insula were selected as seed area, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The present outcomes suggest that childhood trauma is associated with disturbed intrinsic brain function, especially the default mode network, in adults even without psychiatric diagnoses, which may mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and psychiatric disorders in later life.
1 Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province and Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Shaojia
S
Lu
2 Department of Child Psychology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Weijia
W
Gao
3 Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province and Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.|4 Department of Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Zhaoguo
Z
Wei
1 Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province and Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Dandan
D
Wang
1 Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province and Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Shaohua
S
Hu
1 Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province and Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Manli
M
Huang
1 Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province and Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Yi
Y
Xu
3 Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province and Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Lingjiang
L
Li
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000069586:Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012146:Rest; D055815:Young Adult
Childhood trauma; default mode network; functional connectivity; regional homogeneity