Preliminary Evidence for Sensitive Periods in the Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Regional Brain Development
Open accessAbstract
Volumetric MRI scans from 26 women with repeated episodes of childhood sexual abuse and 17 healthy female comparison subjects (ages 18-22 years) were analyzed for sensitive period effects on hippocampal and amygdala volume, frontal cortex gray matter volume and corpus callosum area. Hippocampal volume was reduced in association with childhood sexual abuse at ages 3-5 years and ages 11-13 years. Corpus callosum was reduced with childhood sexual abuse at ages 9-10 years, and frontal cortex was attenuated in subjects with childhood sexual abuse at ages 14-16 years. Brain regions have unique windows of vulnerability to the effects of traumatic stress.
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Childhood trauma exposure during specific phases of development is important to later neurobiological functioning.
“An emerging literature also suggests childhood trauma exposure during specific phases of development is important to later neurobiological functioning (Andersen et al., 2008; Cowell et al., 2015; Gee and Casey, 2015; Kuhlman et al., 2015)”
From Developmental psychoneuroendocrine and psychoneuroimmune pathways from childhood adversity to disease (2017) · cites this paper as Andersen et al., 2008
Childhood maltreatment influences regional brain development during sensitive periods, indicating a potential causal mechanism.
“Interestingly, we have previously discussed possible evidence for sensitive periods during which childhood maltreatment influences regional brain development, indicating a potential causal mechanism.45,46”
From Ventral striatum dysfunction in children and adolescents with reactive attachment disorder: functional MRI study (2015) · cites this paper as [45]
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- Authors
- Andersen, S. L., Tomada, A., Vincow, E. S., Valente, E., Polcari, A., & Teicher, M. H.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
- Published
- 2008-07
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 292-301
- ISSN
- 0895-0172 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-7222
- PMC
- PMC4270804
- OpenAlex
- W4245403230
- Cited by
- 788
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 61 · 2017: 59 · 2016: 68 · 2015: 45 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 41
- FWCI
- 27.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Neuropsychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- McLean Hospital
- National Institutes of Health (5r01da017846-14, 5r01mh053636-04)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH-66222, R01 MH53636, R01MH066222)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA-017846, R01DA016934)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- child sexual abuse, sensitive period, brain development, childhood trauma, neurodevelopmental effects
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Age Factors, Brain, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Regression Analysis, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Young Adult
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