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Impact of Trauma Exposure on Critical Periods in Brain Development and Fear Processing in Children 

Principal Investigator: Tanja Jovanovic

Funding: National Institute of Mental Health

Study Background and Rationale

Childhood trauma exposure constitutes a major risk factor for subsequent psychopathology, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. Violence exposure in low-income, urban populations can occur early in life, increasing risk for trauma exposure in children living in inner-city areas. While it is shown that early adverse experiences affect brain activation and connectivity as well as fear physiology during development in children, the mechanisms of these effects on the brain are not clearly understood. Very few studies have captured the effects of ongoing trauma during development, as most are based on retrospective data. The critical periods study was designed to address this gap in knowledge by recruiting participants from a high trauma risk population. The research combined neuroimaging and fear physiology methods to examine critical periods for trauma-related correlates of brain development. Recruitment of male and female children allowed for exploratory analyses of sex differences during development. Retrospective research on trauma exposure and neural development suggest that ages 9 through 11 represent particularly sensitive periods for fear-relevant neurobiology. In order to target this critical period, 9-year-old children were recruited from the Grady Trauma Project in inner-city Atlanta, as well as the Detroit Trauma Project in Detroit. Both of these areas have primarily of low-income, African American families who were then followed prospectively for two years. Trauma exposure and startle was assessed every six months between ages 9 and 11, in order to assess the critical period for trauma exposure. Brain structure and function was assessed every year, at years 9, 10, and 11. In our previous studies, we have found that the degree of trauma exposure significantly increases between 9 and 11 years of age. The unique prospective longitudinal design of this study allows for analysis of the effects of both pre-existing trauma and new trauma exposure on the neurobiological phenotypes.

Public Health and Clinical Relevance

A growing number of studies indicate that low-income, African American families living in urban environments are at especially high risk for both exposure to traumatic events and anxiety disorders, often as early as childhood or adolescence. The prevalence of childhood trauma exposure, including maltreatment, is at epidemic proportions, with the 2010 National Incidence Study of Child Abuse reporting over 2 million new cases of child endangerment per year and the long-term consequences of childhood trauma for adult mental health are clearly detrimental, increasing risk for mental disorders. Only a small number of studies have examined these effects directly during childhood. This study aimed to address this gap in knowledge by studying effects of childhood trauma on the neural changes during development.

Recruitment for this study was completed in summer of 2024. If you want to find about more about the findings from the Critical Periods study, click the button below to read our blog!

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