Cited by 138Child Abuse and TraumaStress Responses and CortisolPsychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending

Effect of childhood maltreatment on brain structure in adult patients with major depressive disorder and healthy participants

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Chaney, Aisling, Carballedo, Angela, Amico, Francesco, Fagan, Andrew, Skokauskas, Norbert, Meaney, James, Frodl, Thomas·2014·Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Abstract

Background: Childhood maltreatment has been found to play a crucial role in the development of psychiatric disorders. However, whether childhood maltreatment is associated with structural brain changes described for major depressive disorder (MDD) is still a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with MDD and a history of childhood maltreatment display more structural changes than patients without childhood maltreatment or healthy controls. Methods: Patients with MDD and healthy controls with and without childhood maltreatment experience were investigated using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and data were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry. Results: We studied 37 patients with MDD and 46 controls. Grey matter volume was significantly decreased in the hippocampus and significantly increased in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in participants who had experienced childhood maltreatment compared with those who had not. Patients displayed smaller left OFC and left DMPFC volumes than controls. No significant difference in hippocampal volume was evident between patients with MDD and healthy controls. In regression analyses, despite effects from depression, age and sex on the DMPFC, OFC and hippocampus, childhood maltreatment was found to independently affect these regions. Limitations: The retrospective assessment of childhood maltreatment; the natural problem that patients experienced more childhood maltreatment than controls; and the restrictions, owing to sample size, to investigating higher order interactions among factors are discussed as limitations. Conclusion: These results suggest that early childhood maltreatment is associated with brain structural changes irrespective of sex, age and a history of depression. Thus, the study highlights the importance of childhood maltreatment when investigating brain structures.

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  1. [21]21. McKinnon MC, Yucel K, Nazarov A, et al. A meta-analysis examining clinical predictors of hippocampal volume in patients with major depressive disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2009;34:41-54.
  2. [30]30. Kaufman J, Charney D. Effects of early stress on brain structure and function: Implications for understanding the relationship between child maltreatment and depression. Dev Psychopathol 2001; 13: 451-71.
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Authors
Chaney, A., Carballedo, A., Amico, F., Fagan, A., Skokauskas, N., Meaney, J., & Frodl, T.
Affiliations
Trinity College Dublin (IE)
Venue
Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Published
2014-01
Volume
39
Issue
1
Pages
50-59
ISSN
  • 1180-4882 (ISSN-L)
  • 1488-2434
OpenAlex
W2118503941
Cited by
138
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4
FWCI
13.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Trinity's Access to Research Output (TARA) (Trinity College Dublin) (submittedVersion)
  • Lenus, The Irish Health Repository (Dr Steevens Hospital Library) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
Keywords
child abuse, major depressive disorder, brain structure, gray matter volume, hippocampus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, brain structural changes, sex differences, age effects
MeSH terms
Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Brain, Child, Child Abuse, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Organ Size, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Regression Analysis, Retrospective Studies, Sex Factors, Young Adult

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