Effects of early life stress on depression, cognitive performance and brain morphology
Open accessAbstract
Background: Childhood early life stress (ELS) increases risk of adulthood major depressive disorder (MDD) and is associated with altered brain structure and function. It is unclear whether specific ELSs affect depression risk, cognitive function and brain structure. Method: This cross-sectional study included 64 antidepressant-free depressed and 65 never-depressed individuals. Both groups reported a range of ELSs on the Early Life Stress Questionnaire, completed neuropsychological testing and 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neuropsychological testing assessed domains of episodic memory, working memory, processing speed and executive function. MRI measures included cortical thickness and regional gray matter volumes, with a priori focus on the cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), amygdala, caudate and hippocampus. Results: Of 19 ELSs, only emotional abuse, sexual abuse and severe family conflict independently predicted adulthood MDD diagnosis. The effect of total ELS score differed between groups. Greater ELS exposure was associated with slower processing speed and smaller OFC volumes in depressed subjects, but faster speed and larger volumes in non-depressed subjects. In contrast, exposure to ELSs predictive of depression had similar effects in both diagnostic groups. Individuals reporting predictive ELSs exhibited poorer processing speed and working memory performance, smaller volumes of the lateral OFC and caudate, and decreased cortical thickness in multiple areas including the insula bilaterally. Predictive ELS exposure was also associated with smaller left hippocampal volume in depressed subjects. Conclusions: Findings suggest an association between childhood trauma exposure and adulthood cognitive function and brain structure. These relationships appear to differ between individuals who do and do not develop depression.
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ELS/CT is associated with altered cognitive function findings, such as poor processing speed, defective executive functioning, and memory deficits in adulthood, which might pose risks for the development of psychopathology.
“ELS/CT has been also associated with several altered cognitive function findings, such as poor processing speed, defective executive functioning, and memory deficits (e.g., impaired spatial working memory performance, pattern recognition memory) in adulthood, which in turn might pose risks for the development of psychopathology (424–426).”
From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [426]
The Results (‘Effect of ELS on Cognition’) associate ELSs predictive of depression with poorer processing speed and working memory in adulthood. They found no association with executive function or episodic memory, and the Discussion says the study did not support prior findings for those domains. The paper proposes a link between these cognitive effects and vulnerability to depression, but does not establish that the deficits themselves increase psychopathology risk. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredELS/CT is associated with disruptive development and reduced volume of corpus callosum, insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, and caudate, as well as decreased cortical thickness of medial and lateral prefrontal and temporal lobe regions, and reduced overall brain volume in humans.
“With respect to structural correlates, ELS/CT is associated with disruptive development and reduced volume of corpus callosum, insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate gyrus, and caudate, as well as decreased cortical thickness of medial and lateral prefrontal and temporal lobe regions, and reduced overall brain volume in humans (416, 417, 425, 4”
From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [426]
The Results (Effect of ELS on Brain Structure; page unavailable) associate ELS exposures predictive of depression with smaller lateral orbitofrontal and caudate volumes and reduced cortical thickness in the insula, frontal, and parietal lobes. They do not establish reduced volumes in the corpus callosum, insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, or anterior cingulate, nor the claimed temporal-lobe thinning or reduced overall brain volume. The claim also omits the paper’s restriction to ELS exposures predictive of depression. (LLM, conf=0.89)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA history of ELA can have a sustained impact on the integrity and function of the brain, with brain regions associated with emotional regulation, cognitive modulation and feeding behaviours frequently implicated.
“Evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that a history of ELA can have a sustained impact on the integrity and function of the brain 9, 10, 11, 12, with brain regions associated with emotional regulation, cognitive modulation and feeding behaviours frequently implicated 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.”
From History of early life adversity is associated with increased food addiction and sex-specific alterations in reward network connectivity in obesity (2019) · cites this paper as [9]
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- Authors
- Saleh, A., Potter, G. G., McQuoid, D. R., Boyd, B., Turner, R., MacFall, J. R., & Taylor, W. D.
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (US)
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (US)
- Corresponding author
- Taylor, W. D.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2016-09-29
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 171-181
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- PMC
- PMC5195852
- OpenAlex
- W2526656473
- Cited by
- 301
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 18
- FWCI
- 28.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Vanderbilt University
- National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000445)
- National Institute of Mental Health (K24MH110598, R01MH077745)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54HD083211)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- early life stress, childhood trauma, major depressive disorder, cognitive performance, brain structure, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, family conflict, processing speed, working memory, orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, insula, cortical thickness, gray matter volume, episodic memory, executive function
- MeSH terms
- Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events, Adult, Cerebral Cortex, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Middle Aged, Psychomotor Performance, Stress, Psychological, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, Family Conflict, Young Adult, Executive Function, Cognitive Dysfunction, Memory, Episodic
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