Childhood Stress, Emotional Neglect Can Result in Structural Brain Changes

New research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revealed that childhood stress such as abuse or emotional neglect, in particular when combined with genetic factors, can result in structural brain changes, rendering these people more susceptible to developing depression.

The study, led by scientists from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), was published February 10, 2010, in the advance online publication in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

Commenting on the significance of the findings, Trinity's Prof. Thomas Frodl, from the School of Medicine and Trinity Institute for Neuroscience, said, "This improved neurobiological understanding shows how stress and genetic variants interact and affect brain structure and function. In turn, it demonstrates how it could affect a person's propensity for depression. These structural alterations of the brain are associated with a higher vulnerability to depression and a more chronic course of the depression might be associated with further structural changes. Therefore, early intervention in the case of major depression is necessary to increase the chance of a good disease outcome. Fortunately, depression can be treated very well by psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. Moreover, prevention strategies for childhood neglect and misuse are highly important to increase public health and to avoid in later life for these individuals, the burden of major depression.”

The World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) found that major depression is one of the most important human diseases with a prevalence of about 10% worldwide. The WHO has forecast that major depression will be the second most common cause of disability by 2020. Advances in this area will have a high impact on overall disease costs.

The study was conducted on 24 patients (aged 18-65 years) being treated as inpatients for major depression. They were investigated with high-resolution structural MRI and childhood stress assessments. Special analysis programs were used to measure brain regions. These patients were compared with 27 healthy control subjects from the local community who were matched for age and gender. According to the researchers, additional studies are needed in a larger number of patients and controls to identify the underlying causes of depression and stress-gene interaction on brains structure as well as function.

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