Altered Water Diffusivity in Cortical Association Tracts in Children with Early Deprivation Identified with Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS)

Abstract

Institutional rearing is associated with neurocognitive and behavioral difficulties. Although such difficulties are thought to reflect abnormal neurologic development resulting from early social deprivation (ED) and there is evidence for functional abnormality in children with histories of ED, the impact of early deprivation on brain anatomy has received little study in humans. The present study utilized an objective and sensitive neuroimaging analysis technique (Tract-Based Spatial Statistics) to evaluate white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity in a group of right-handed children with histories of ED (n = 17; mean age = 10.9 + 2.6 years) as compared with age-matched healthy controls (n = 15; mean age = 11.7 + or - 2.8 years). Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging diffusion tensor imaging sequences and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Results revealed reduced FA in frontal, temporal, and parietal white matter including components of uncinate and superior longitudinal fasciculi, in children with histories of ED, providing further support for limbic and paralimbic abnormalities in children with such histories. Furthermore, white matter abnormalities were associated with duration of time in the orphanage and with inattention and hyperactivity scores. It is suspected that the observed white matter abnormalities are associated with multiple depriving factors (e.g., poor prenatal care, postnatal stress) associated with institutional caregiving.

Neural Correlates of Face Familiarity in Institutionally Reared Children With Distinctive, Atypical Social Behavior

“…Existing evidence documents There is already substantial evidence of effects of institutionalization on neurodevelopment. Indeed, reports of brain anatomical and functional differences between family-and institutionally-reared children are accumulating rapidly (Behen et al, 2009;Chugani et al, 2001;Eluvathingal et al, 2006;Gee et al, 2013;Govindan, Behen, Helder, Makki, & Chugani, 2010;Hodel et al, 2015;Maheu et al, 2010;Mehta et al, 2009;Sheridan, Fox, Zeanah, McLaughlin, & Nelson, 2012;Tottenham et al, 2011;Tottenham et al, 2010).…”

EEG Correlation during Social Decision-making in Institutionalized Adolescents

“…In addition, post institutionalized children present abnormities in some bundles that connect the different cortical areas. In this regard, several recent studies have reported a lower fractional anisotropy values in the left uncinate fasciculus and in the superior longitudinal fascicule in post institutionalized children compared to children without this personal background [12,13]. In a functional level, Chugani et al [14] reported a reduction in glucose metabolism in the amygdala and hippocampus during rest conditions in post institutionalized children compared to never institutionalized children and neurological patients.…”

“…Therefore, the functional coupling between prefrontal and temporal areas could participate in the manipulation of socialemotional information and this coupling is in part performed by uncinate fasciculus which provides strong connections between those regions [52]. This bundle, in the left hemisphere, shows a lower density in the institutionalized population [12,13]. Related with the communication between areas, gamma band has been related with this function on other works [53].…”

“…Similarly, INST group showed a lower left prefronto-parietal correlation in gamma band during the acceptance of proposals which could be related to a disturbance in left anatomical connectivity between prefrontal and parietal areas and thereby problems in the understanding of others-perspective involved in the social decision. The frontal and parietal cortices are connected directly through superior longitudinal fasciculi [54] and this tract shows a lower density in institutionalized population [13]. Besides, left parietal cortex has been related with others-perspective decision-making and right parietal cortex with own-perspective decision-making [27,55,56].…”

L’impact des relations précoces sur le développement cérébral : le trouble réactionnel de l’attachement vu par les neurosciences

“…Des modifications de l'hippocampe sont également observées lors de stress intenses et prolongés Pinto et al, 2015;Polan & Hoffer, 2008). Au niveau cortical supérieur, soit les régions du cortex frontal, préfrontal et temporal, une activité métabolique limitée ainsi qu'un développement anormal de la substance blanche sont rapportés chez les enfants institutionnalisés ayant vécu de multiples formes de négligence Govindan, Behen, Helder, Makki, & Chugani, 2010). Sur le plan comportemental, un fonctionnement anormal des zones frontales du cerveau aura un effet majeur sur de nombreux processus régulant les comportements, les apprentissages, l'expression des émotions et les habiletés sociales puisque ces zones sont impliquées dans la modulation des capacités réflexives, la mémoire de travail , le contrôle de l'attention (Lavie & de Fockert, 2006), l'inhibition motrice, la réorientation et la mise à jour des comportements (Levy & Wagner, 2011), ainsi que dans l'expression de la sympathie, la gêne, la culpabilité et la compréhension et le respect des règles sociales (Anderson, Bechara, Damasio, Tranel, & Damasio, 1999 …”