The neuroendocrinological sequelae of stress during brain development: the impact of child abuse and neglect

Abstract

A Af fr ri ic ca an n J Jo ou ur rn na al l o of f P Ps sy yc ch hi ia at tr ry y • February 2008 Important aspects of neuroendocrinological development At birth, babies are the most helpless of all mammals. Human infants have a protracted period of development compared to other species. 1 This lengthened time for learning allows for the development of a far superior intellect (compared to other animals). However, the plasticity and adaptability of the young human brain also makes it very vulnerable to adverse

Maternal separation with early weaning: a novel mouse model of early life neglect

“…This encoding likely includes neuroanatomical changes that are caused by early life neglect, neurodevelopmental abnormalities that arise because of the neglect, and molecular correlates of these structural changes. For example, a recent review of child abuse and neglect [89] noted that human survivors of neglect and/or abuse show decreased cerebral volumes, enlarged ventricles, alterations in white matter, alterations in cortical asymmetry, reduced hippocampal volumes, and other structural brain changes. There is also evidence for a role of epigenetic factors in mediating the lasting effects of maternal care in preclinical models [90,91] and epigenetic alterations are evident in human victims of child abuse [92].…”

Functional Genomic and Proteomic Analysis Reveals Disruption of Myelin-Related Genes and Translation in a Mouse Model of Early Life Neglect

“…After considerable optimization we developed the MSEW model of early life neglect in the mouse that yields robust and long lasting changes in behavior (George et al, 2010). The work presented here was performed in an effort to begin to understand the molecular basis of the effects of early life neglect in the cortex, particularly with regard to alterations in the PFC because of the effects of child abuse and neglect on the structure (De Bellis et al, 2002; Panzer, 2008; Tomoda et al, 2009) and function (Deprince et al, 2009; Samuelson et al, 2010) of this region in children exposed to child maltreatment. Our results suggest particularly significant alterations in genes involved in myelination and translation, summarized in Table S9 in Supplementary Material; Figure 10.…”

“…We performed a structured, high throughput analysis of RNA and protein expression in the PFC of MSEW and control mice. We focused on the PFC because of the effects of child abuse and neglect on the structure (De Bellis et al, 2002; Panzer, 2008; Tomoda et al, 2009) and function (Deprince et al, 2009; Samuelson et al, 2010) of this region in children exposed to maltreatment. We also assessed the role of DNA methylation in a select set of genes showing significant changes at the level of RNA expression.…”

A quantitative magnetic resonance histology atlas of postnatal rat brain development with regional estimates of growth and variability

“…Postnatal neurodevelopment allows the brain to adapt to the organism’s surroundings, but the immature brain is vulnerable to developmental insults outside of the protective environment of the uterus. A wide range of toxic, vascular, traumatic, and even psychological insults are known to alter this crucial period of brain development (Friess et al, 2007; Herrmann et al, 2008; Jaaro-Peled et al, 2009; Maciag et al, 2006; O’Leary-Moore et al, 2011; Panzer, 2008). There has been growing interest in the role of early postnatal insults in neurodevelopmental diseases, such as autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Courchesne et al, 2001; Giedd and Rapoport, 2010; Hazlett et al, 2005).…”