Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences· 2013Q1
Early developmental emergence of human amygdala–prefrontal connectivity after maternal deprivation
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- 2013year
Short summary
Children who experienced early maternal deprivation show an accelerated, 'mature' pattern of amygdala-prefrontal cortex connectivity, resembling adolescents rather than typical children.
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Key points
- Previously institutionalized children displayed mature (negative) amygdala-mPFC coupling, unlike typical children's immature (positive) coupling.
- This accelerated connectivity pattern resembles that of adolescents.
- Cortisol mediated this connectivity, suggesting stress hormone influence on brain development.
- Despite being age-atypical, this mature connectivity was associated with some reduction in anxiety.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Under typical conditions, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connections with the amygdala are immature during childhood and become adult-like during adolescence. Rodent models show that maternal deprivation accelerates this development, prompting examination of human amygdala-mPFC phenotypes following maternal deprivation. Previously institutionalized youths, who experienced early maternal deprivation, exhibited atypical amygdala-mPFC connectivity. Specifically, unlike the immature connectivity (positive amygdala-mPFC coupling) of comparison children, children with a history of early adversity evidenced mature connectivity (negative amygdala-mPFC coupling) and thus, resembled the adolescent phenotype. This connectivity pattern was mediated by the hormone cortisol, suggesting that stress-induced modifications of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis shape amygdala-mPFC circuitry. Despite being age-atypical, negative amygdala-mPFC coupling conferred some degree of reduced anxiety, although anxiety was still significantly higher in the previously institutionalized group. These findings suggest that accelerated amygdala-mPFC development is an ontogenetic adaptation in response to early adversity.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013 · DOI ↗
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Field: Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral NeuroscienceNeuroscience