Neurobiological adaptations to violence across development

Abstract

Adaptation to violent environments across development involves a multitude of cascading effects spanning many levels of analysis from genes to behavior. In this review, we (a) examine the potentiating effects of violence on genetic vulnerabilities and the functioning of neurotransmitter systems in producing both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, (b) consider the impact of violence on the developing human stress and startle responses, and (c) brain development including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This review integrates literature on the developmental effects of violence on rodents, non-human primates, and humans. Many neurobiological changes that are adaptive for survival in violent contexts become maladaptive in other environments, conferring life-long risk for psychopathology.

Future Directions in Emotion Dysregulation and Youth Psychopathology

“…In addition, cumulative lifetime adversity is associated with smaller PFC volumes among children (Hanson et al, 2012), as 2 The assertions that subcortical structures mature very early in life, and that individual differences in motivational and emotional predispositions that they confer are highly heritable, in no way suggests that these neural networks are insensitive to environmentally induced functional alterations across development. As my research group has reviewed elsewhere, epigenetic and other maternal programming effects on functioning of central monoamine systems (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine) can be extensive (Beauchaine, Neuhaus, Zalewski, Crowell, & Potapova, 2011;Mead, Beauchaine, & Shannon, 2010), as can effects of postnatal exposure to adversity and substances of abuse (Beauchaine & McNulty, 2013). Of importance, some of these effects reflect active gene-environment correlation, whereby impulsive and anxious individuals seek environments that exacerbate their preexisting neural vulnerabilities.…”

Mental Health Consequences and Risk Factors of Physical Intimate Partner Violence

“…Another explanation for the mediator role of PTSD is related to the involvement of the right hemisphere of the brain in affective experience regulations and its disconnection with the left part of the brain which may interfere with the processing of affective states. Through this mechanism, PTSD can contribute to high levels of emotional reactivity or dissociation [22,29]. PTSD effects can also be explained by "battered women syndrome" which stem from the repetitive nature of chronic violence and conceptualizes the psychological consequences of intimate partner violence [17].…”

Beneath the Surface: An Exploration of Neurobiological Alterations in Therapists Working With Trauma

“…When the brain is exposed to high levels of cortisol, the nervous system can become sensitized to psychologically threatening stimuli. Over time, this can lead to "kindling" whereby individuals who have experienced trauma are more likely to respond with greater intensely and speed to perceived threats (Mead, Beauchaine, & Shannon, 2010;Weiss, 2007). We can theorize that this process of kindling may be important in understanding the finding that individuals who have experienced previous trauma are also more susceptible to VT or STS.…”