Impact of Childhood Stress

You may be wondering why we are learning about children.  Because we were all children, some of us may know some children now, and others may have interest in public policy involving children.

Scientists were interested in the impacts of early life stress and head injuries on brain development.  They studied 4 groups of rats: stressed rats, brain-injured rats, stressed and brain injured rats, and non-stressed or brain-injured rats.  Newborn rats were stressed by removing them from their mothers for part of the day for 14 days in a row.  On day 15, when rats are the equivalent of a toddler, rats in groups 2 and 3 were subjected to brain injuries. 

When the rats were juveniles, researchers examined their hippocampi, the part of the brain responsible for memory and emotional response.  They found that early life stress resulted in more significant changes in brain gene expression than from experiencing a head injury.  When the rats were adults, only those that had been subjected to early life stress were prone to entering a large wide-open space, a risky behavior which normally makes rodents fearful of predators.

This study relates to humans, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), because people subjected to ACEs are more likely to suffer from ADHD, substance use, and high-risk behavior. 

One of the researchers from The Ohio State University stated, “Stress is really powerful, and we shouldn’t understate the impact of early life stress on the developing brain. I think it tends to get dismissed – but it’s an incredibly important public health topic.”  Another researcher added, “Things like social support and enrichment can buffer the effects of early-life stress – that has been shown in animal models and in people.  I don’t think it can be over-emphasized how damaging early-life stressors can be if they’re not dealt with.”

This study has not yet been published, but was presented as a poster on Nov. 12, 2023, at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Takeaway:  If you, or a child you know, has suffered from an adverse childhood experience, mental health treatments can help heal the impacts on brain and mental health.  Professional help from doctors and therapists, as well as emotion regulation practices such as meditation and mindfulness, are interventions that aid in recovery from ACEs.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.

Source

Emily Caldwell, s, Neuroscience News, Nov. 13, 2023, Childhood Stress Has A Greater Genetic Impact Than Brain Injury - Neuroscience News.

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