Adverse early experiences, such as parental neglect, abuse, the death of a loved one, or other traumatic events, are known to influence how humans will behave as adults. For instance, studies have found that victims of childhood abuse are at a higher risk of developing mood or conduct disorders characterized by altered social behaviors, such as aggressive, withdrawn or mistrustful tendencies. Shedding light on the link between early life stress and maladaptive behaviors could be of great value, as it could help to devise new interventions designed to educate parents, protect children from abuse, or support people who had adverse childhood experiences. Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine's Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute recently reviewed existing literature on this topic, particularly studies exploring the link between early life stress and aggressive behaviors in various animal species.
Researchers outline some of the primary findings that linked stress exposure early on in life with aggression in adulthood, both in humans, other mammals, and non-mammalian animal species. They observe that most animals displaying these behaviors appear to exhibit deficits in the processing of rewards. When they reviewed past studies, they found that chronic exposure to stressful events during early development can increase the level of corticosterone, a steroid that regulates stress responses, in many animal species, while also prompting changes in the expression of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. In addition, adverse early experiences have been linked to alterations in the organization of various key brain regions, including the hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala, and their communication with parts of the brain that process rewards.
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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-exploring-link-early-life-stress.html