Cited by 219Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesStress Responses and CortisolCognitive Abilities and Testing

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 64 of the 64 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Structural Variations in Prefrontal Cortex Mediate the Relationship between Early Childhood Stress and Spatial Working Memory

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Abstract

A large corpus of research indicates that exposure to stress impairs cognitive abilities, specifically executive functioning dependent on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We collected structural MRI scans (n = 61), well-validated assessments of executive functioning, and detailed interviews assessing stress exposure in humans to examine whether cumulative life stress affected brain morphometry and one type of executive functioning, spatial working memory, during adolescence-a critical time of brain development and reorganization. Analysis of variations in brain structure revealed that cumulative life stress and spatial working memory were related to smaller volumes in the PFC, specifically prefrontal gray and white matter between the anterior cingulate and the frontal poles. Mediation analyses revealed that individual differences in prefrontal volumes accounted for the association between cumulative life stress and spatial working memory. These results suggest that structural changes in the PFC may serve as a mediating mechanism through which greater cumulative life stress engenders decrements in cognitive functioning.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.0307-12.2012

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  1. Liston C McEwen BS Casey BJ 2009 Psychosocial stress reversibly disrupts prefrontal processing and attentional control Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106 912 917 19139412 PMC2621252

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Metadata

Authors
Hanson, J. L., Chung, M. K., Avants, B. B., Rudolph, K. D., Shirtcliff, E. A., Gee, J. C., Davidson, R. J., & Pollak, S. D.
Affiliations
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
  • LSU New Orleans (US)
Venue
Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2012-06-06
Volume
32
Issue
23
Pages
7917-7925
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2030971545
Cited by
219
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 12
FWCI
6.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH84051, MH61285, R01MH068858, MH 68858, P50MH084051, R01MH043454, R01MH061285)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (F31DA028087, DA028087)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P30HD003352)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Keywords
prefrontal cortex, early childhood stress, spatial working memory, executive function, brain morphometry, gray matter volume, white matter volume, adolescence, brain development, mediation, anterior cingulate cortex, frontal pole
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Mental Disorders, Brain, Child, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Individuality, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Neuropsychological Tests, Puberty, Regression Analysis, Social Class, Space Perception, Stress, Psychological, Prefrontal Cortex, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Executive Function, Neuroimaging

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