Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neurobiological Correlates of Psychosocial Deprivation in Children: A Systematic Review of Neuroscientific Contributions

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Child & Youth Care Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Institutionalization from birth offers a unique opportunity to investigate the effects on brain and endocrine system of psychosocial deprivation in early infancy. Nonetheless, a systematic review about institutionalization and biological anomalies does not exist.

Objective

The purpose of this paper was to systematize all the studies about biological correlates of early institutionalization.

Methods

GoogleScholar, PsycINFO, and PubMed electronic databases were used in order to select English language articles published on this topic. Reference lists of included studies were reviewed to capture additional studies. Only quantitative, peer reviewed studies, conducted on children and youths who had experienced institutional care from birth and assessing neurobiological features were included. Thirty-four studies met inclusion criteria.

Results

The studies reported that the experience of institutionalization may lead to reduced brain volume, larger amygdala volume, decreased cortical activity, altered frontal and limbic activity, white matter abnormalities, and irregular hormone levels. These outcomes are similar to those displayed by children who have experienced harmful events. Although the body of literature is conspicuous enough to highlight anomalies in these children’s neurobiology, only few studies specifically address each brain component or function.

Conclusions

Adverse early experience can lead to aberrant brain development and functioning. Nevertheless, the comprehension of these neurobiological pathways requires further clarification.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The BEIP is a longitudinal study conducted on early institutionalized children in Bucharest consisting of a randomized control-trial of foster care compared to continued institutional care with children’s evaluation at four time-points: baseline, 30, 42, and 54 months (McDermott et al. 2012).

References

  • Adolphs, R., & Spezio, M. (2006). Role of the amygdala in processing visual social stimuli. Progress in Brain Research, 156, 363–378. doi:10.1016/S0079-6123(06)56020-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barr, G. A., Moriceau, S., Shionoya, K., Muzny, K., Gao, P., Wang, S., & Sullivan, R. M. (2009). Transitions in infant learning are modulated by dopamine in the amygdala. Nature Neuroscience, 12(11), 1367–1369. doi:10.1038/nn.2403.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, R., Clarke, A., & Johnstone, S. (2003). A review of electrophysiology in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: I. Qualitative and quantitative electroencephalography. Clinical Neurophysiology, 114, 171–183. doi:10.1016/S1388-2457(02)00362-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, P. M., Hanson, J. L., Pierson, R. K., Davidson, R. J., & Pollak, S. D. (2009). Cerebellar volume and cognitive functioning in children who experienced early deprivation. Biological Psychiatry, 66(12), 1100–1106. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.06.014.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Behen, M. E., Muzik, O., Saporta, A. S. D., Wilson, B. J., Pai, D., Hua, J., & Chugani, H. T. (2009). Abnormal fronto-striatal connectivity in children with histories of early deprivation: A diffusion tensor imaging study. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 3(3), 292–297. doi:10.1007/s11682-009-9071-6.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Carrión, V. G., Weems, C. F., Eliez, S., Patwardhan, A., Brown, W., Ray, R. D., & Reiss, A. L. (2001). Attenuation of frontal asymmetry in pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 50, 943–951. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(01)01218-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrión, V. G., Weems, C. F., Richert, K., Hoffman, B., & Reiss, A. L. (2010). Decreased prefrontal cortical volume associated with increased bedtime cortisol in traumatized youth. Biological Psychiatry, 68, 491–493. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.05.010.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chugani, H. T., Behen, M. E., Muzik, O., Juhasz, C., Nagy, F., & Chugani, D. C. (2001). Local brain functional activity following early deprivation: a study of postinstitutionalized Romanian orphans. NeuroImage, 14, 1290–1301. doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.0917.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2001). The impact of child maltreatment and psychopathology on neuroendocrine functioning. Developmental Psychopathology, 13, 783–804.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, N. J., & Farnia, F. (2011). Children adopted from China: Attachment security two years later. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 2342–2346. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.08.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, N. J., Lojkasek, M., Zadeh, Z. Y., Pugliese, M., & Kiefer, H. (2008). Children adopted from China: a prospective study of their growth and development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 49(4), 458–468. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01853.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J. (2000). Affective style, psychopathology, and resilience: Brain mechanisms and plasticity. The American Psychologist, 55, 1196–1214. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.11.1196.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J., Ekman, P., Saron, C. D., Senulis, J. A., & Friesen, W. V. (1990). Approach-withdrawal and cerebral asymmetry: Emotional expression and brain physiology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 330–341. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.2.330.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J., & Fox, N. A. (1982). Asymmetrical brain activity discriminates between positive and negative affective stimuli in human infants. Science, 218, 1235–1237. doi:10.1126/science.7146906.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Bellis, M. D., Baum, A. S., Birmaher, B., Keshavan, M. S., Eccard, C. H., Boring, A. M., et al. (1999). Developmental traumatology part I: biological stress systems. Biological Psychiatry, 45, 1259–1270. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(99)00044-X.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Bellis, M. D., Hall, J., Boring, A. M., Frustaci, K., & Moritz, G. (2001). A pilot longitudinal study of hippocampal volumes in pediatric maltreatment-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 50, 305–309. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(01)01105-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Bellis, M. D., Keshavan, M. S., Shifflett, H., Iyengar, S., Beers, S. R., Hall, J., & Moritz, G. (2002). Brain structures in pediatric maltreatment-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A sociodemographically matched study. Biological Psychiatry, 52, 1066–1078. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(02)01459-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, R. J., & Vuilleumier, P. (2003). Amygdala automaticity in emotional processing. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 985, 348–355. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb07093.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dozier, M., Manni, M., Gordon, M. K., Peloso, E., Gunnar, M. R., Stovall-McClough, K. C., et al. (2006). Foster children’s diurnal production of cortisol: An exploratory study. Child Maltreatment, 11(2), 189–197. doi:10.1177/1077559505285779.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eluvathingal, T. J., Chugani, H. T., Behen, M. E., Juhasz, C., Muzik, O., & Maqbool, M. (2006). Abnormal brain connectivity in children after early severe socioemotional deprivation: A diffusion tensor imaging study. Pediatrics, 117, 2093–2100. doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1727.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, P. A., Gunnar, M. R., Dozier, M., Bruce, J., & Pears, K. C. (2006). Effects of therapeutic interventions for foster children on behavioral problems, caregiver attachment, and stress regulatory neural systems. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 1094, 215–225. doi:10.1196/annals.1376.023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett, A. S., Carrión, V. G., Kletter, H., Karchemskiy, A., Weems, C. F., & Reiss, A. L. (2012). Brain activation to facial expressions in youth with PTSD symptoms. Depression and Anxiety, 29, 449–459. doi:10.1002/da.21892.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gee, D. G., Gabard-Durnam, L. J., Flannery, J., Goff, B., Humphreys, K. L., Telzer, E. H., et al. (2013). Early developmental emergence of human amygdala-prefrontal con- nectivity after maternal deprivation. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110, 15638–15643. doi:10.1073/pnas.1307893110.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Govindan, R. M., Behen, M. E., Helder, E., Makki, M. I., & Chugani, H. T. (2009). Altered water diffusivity in cortical association tracts in children with early deprivation identified with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Cerebral Cortex, 20(3), 561–569. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp122.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Güler, O. E., Hostinar, C. E., Frenn, K. A., Nelson, C. A., Gunnar, M. R., & Thomas, K. M. (2012). Electrophysiological evidence of altered memory processing in children experiencing early deprivation. Developmental Science, 15(3), 345–358. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01131.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hjern, A., Lindblad, F., & Vinnerljung, B. (2002). Suicide, psychiatric illness, and social maladjustment in intercountry adoptees in Sweden: A cohort study. Lancet, 360, 443–448. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09674-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Humphreys, K. L., & Zeanah, C. H. (2015). Deviations from the expectable environment in early childhood and emerging psychopathology. Neuropsychopharmacology, 40(1), 154–170. doi:10.1038/npp.2014.165.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jackowski, A. P., Douglas-Palumberi, H., Jackowski, M., Win, L., Schultz, R. T., Staib, L. W., et al. (2008). Corpus callosum in maltreated children with PTSD: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Psychiatry Research, 162, 256–261. doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2007.08.006.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, T. I., Shin, Y. H., & White-Traut, R. C. (2003). Multisensory intervention improves physical growth and illness rates in Korean orphaned newborn infants. Research in Nursing & Health, 26, 424–433. doi:10.1002/nur.10105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, A., Behen, M. E., Singsoonsud, P., Veenstra, A. L., Wolfe-Christensen, C., Helder, E., & Chugani, H. T. (2013). Microstructural abnormalities in language and limbic pathways in orphanage-reared children: A diffusion tensor imaging study. Journal of Child Neurology, 29(3), 318–325. doi:10.1177/0883073812474098.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar Jha, P., Challet, E., & Kalsbeek, A. (2015). Circadian rhythms in glucose and lipid metabolism in nocturnal and diurnal mammals. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2015.01.024.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loman, M. M., Johnson, A. E., Westerlund, A., Pollak, S. D., Nelson, C. A., & Gunnar, M. R. (2013). The effect of early deprivation on executive attention in middle childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 54(1), 37–45. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02602.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangun, G. R., & Hillyard, S. A. (1991). Modulations of sensory-evoked brain potentials indicate changes in perceptual processing during visual-spatial priming. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 17, 1057–1074. doi:10.1037/0096-1523.17.4.1057.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, P. J., Bar-Haim, Y., & Fox, N. A. (2002). Development of the EEG from 5 months to 4 years of age. Clinical Neurophysiology, 113, 1199–1208. doi:10.1016/S1388-2457(02)00163-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, P. J., Fox, N. A., & the Bucharest Early Intervention Project Core Group. (2004). A comparison of the electroencephalogram between institutionalized and community children. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16, 1327–1338. doi:10.1162/0898929042304723.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, P. J., Reeb, B. C., Fox, N. A., Nelson, C. A., & Zeanah, C. H. (2008). Effects of early intervention on EEG power and coherence in previously institutionalized children in Romania. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 861–880. doi:10.1017/S0954579408000412.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McCrory, E. J., De Brito, S. A., Sebastian, C. L., Mechelli, A., Bird, G., Kelly, P. A., & Viding, E. (2011). Heightened neural reactivity to threat in child victims of family violence. Current Biology, 21, R947–R948. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDermott, J. M., Troller-Renfree, S., Vanderwert, R., Nelson, C. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Fox, N. A. (2013). Psychosocial deprivation, executive functions, and the emergence of socio-emotional behavior problems. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 167. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00167.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDermott, J. M., Westerlund, A., Zeanah, C. H., Nelson, C. A., & Fox, N. A. (2012). Early adversity and neural correlates of executive function: Implications for academic adjustment. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2S, S59–S66. doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2011.09.008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, K. A., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2011). Adverse rearing environments and neural development in children: The development of frontal electroencephalogram asymmetry. Biological Psychiatry, 70(11), 1008–1015. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.08.006.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, K. A., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., Sheridan, M. A., Marshall, P., & Nelson, C. A. (2010). Delayed maturation in brain electrical activity partially explains the association between early environmental deprivation and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 68, 329–336. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.04.005.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, K. A., Sheridan, M. A., Winter, W., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2013). Widespread reductions in cortical thickness following severe early-life deprivation: A neurodevelopmental pathway to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 76(8), 629–638. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.08.016.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, M. A., Golembo, N. I., Nosarti, C., Colvert, E., Mota, A., Williams, S. C. R., et al. (2009). Amygdala, hippocampal and corpus callosum size following severe early institutional deprivation: The English and Romanian Adoptees Study Pilot. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 50, 943–951. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02084.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, M. A., Gore-Langton, E., Golembo, N., Colvert, E., Williams, S. C. R., & Sonuga-Barke, E. (2010). Hyporesponsive reward anticipation in the basal ganglia following severe institutional deprivation early in life. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(10), 2316–2325. doi:10.1162/jocn.2009.21394.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moriceau, S., & Sullivan, R. M. (2005). Neurobiology of infant attachment. Developmental Psychobiology, 47(3), 230–242. doi:10.1002/dev.20093.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moulson, M. C., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2009a). Early adverse experiences and the neurobiology of facial emotion processing. Developmental Psychology, 45(1), 17–30. doi:10.1037/a0014035.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moulson, M. C., Westerlund, A., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2009b). The effects of early experience on face recognition: An event-related potential study of institutionalized children in Romania. Child Development, 80(4), 1039–1056. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01315.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. A. (2007). A neurobiological perspective on early human deprivation. Child Development Perspectives, 1(1), 13–18. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2007.00004.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. A., & Monk, C. S. (2000). The use of event-related potentials in the study of cognitive development. In C. A. Nelson & M. Luciana (Eds.), Handbook of developmental cognitive neuroscience (pp. 125–136). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsavsky, A. K., Telzer, E. H., Shapiro, M., Humphreys, K. L., Flannery, J., Goff, B., & Tottenham, N. (2013). Indiscriminate amygdala response to mothers and strangers after early maternal deprivation. Biological Psychiatry, 74, 853–860. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.025.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Overbeek, T. J., Nieuwenhuis, S., & Ridderinkhof, K. R. (2005). Dissociable components of error processing: On the functional significance of the Pe vis-à-vis the ERN/Ne. Journal of Psychophysiology, 19, 319–329. doi:10.1027/0269-8803.19.4.319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pallier, C., Dehaene, S., Poline, J. B., LeBihan, D., Argenti, A. M., Dupoux, E., & Mehler, J. (2003). Brain imaging of language plasticity in adopted adults: Can a second language replace the first? Cerebral Cortex, 13, 155–161. doi:10.1093/cercor/13.2.155.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, S. W., & Nelson, C. A. (2005). An event-related potential study of the impact of institutional rearing on face recognition. Development and Psychopathology, 17(3), 621–639. doi:10.1017/S0954579405050303.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, S. W., Nelson, C. A., & the Bucharest Early Intervention Project Core Group. (2005). The impact of early institutional rearing on the ability to discriminate facial expressions of emotion: An event-related potential study. Child Development, 76(1), 54–72. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00829.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pollak, S. D., Cicchetti, D., Klorman, R., & Brumaghim, J. T. (1997). Cognitive brain event- related potentials and emotion processing in maltreated children. Child Development, 68, 773–787. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1997.tb01961.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rajagopal, A., Holland, S. K., Walz, N. C., Staat, M. A., Altaye, M., & Wade, S. (2013). A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of language function in international adoptees. Journal of Pediatrics, 163(5), 1458–1464. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.06.026.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richert, K. A., Carrión, V. G., Karchemskiy, A., & Reiss, A. L. (2006). Regional differences of the prefrontal cortex in pediatric PTSD: An MRI study. Depression and Anxiety, 25, 17–25. doi:10.1002/da.20131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., O’Connor, T. G., & English Romanian Adoptees (ERA) Study Team. (2004). Are there biological programming effects for psychological development? Findings from a study of Romanian adoptees. Developmental Psychology, 40, 81–94. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.40.1.81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schroder, H. S., Moran, T. P., Moser, J. S., & Altmann, E. M. (2012). When the rules are reversed: action-monitoring of reversing stimulus-response mappings. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, 12, 629–643. doi:10.3758/s13415-012-0105-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan, M. A., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., McLaughlin, K. A., & Nelson, C. A. (2012). Variation in neural development as a result of exposure to institutionalization early in childhood. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(32), 12927–12932. doi:10.1073/pnas.1200041109.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Slopen, N., McLaughlin, K. A., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2012). Alterations in neural processing and psychopathology in children raised in institutions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(10), 1022–1030. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2012.444.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Spehlmann, R. (1965). The average electrical responses to diffuse and to patterned light in the human. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neuropsychology, 19, 560–569. doi:10.1016/0013-4694(65)90241-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • St. Petersburg-USA Orphanage Research Team. (2005). Characteristics of children, caregivers, and orphanages for young children in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 477–506. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2005.06.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanton, M. E., & Levine, S. (1988). Maternal modulation of infant glucocorticoid stress responses: Role of age and maternal deprivation. Psychobiology, 16(3), 223–228. doi:10.3758/BF03327311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanton, M. E., & Levine, S. (1990). Inhibition of infant glucocorticoid stress response: Specific role of maternal cues. Developmental Psychobiology, 23(5), 411–426. doi:10.1002/dev.420230504.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strange, B. A., & Dolan, R. J. (2006). Anterior medial temporal lobe in human cognition: Memory for fear and the unexpected. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 11, 198–218. doi:10.1080/13546800500305096.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tarullo, A. R., Garvin, M. C., & Gunnar, M. R. (2011). Atypical EEG power correlates with indiscriminately friendly behavior in internationally adopted children. Developmental Psychology, 47(2), 417–431. doi:10.1037/a0021363.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tarullo, A. R., & Gunnar, M. R. (2006). Child maltreatment and the developing HPA axis. Hormones and Behavior, 50(4), 632–639. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Telzer, E. H., Flannery, J., Shapiro, M., Humprheys, K. L., Goff, B., Gabard-Durman, L., et al. (2013). Early experience shapes amygdala sensitivity to race: An international adoption design. The Journal of Neuroscience, 33(33), 13484–13488. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1272-13.2013.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tottenham, N. (2012). Human amygdala development in the absence of species-expected caregiving. Developmental Psychobiology, 54, 598–611. doi:10.1002/dev.20531.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tottenham, N., Hare, T. A., Millner, A., Gilhooly, T., Zevin, J., & Casey, B. J. (2011). Elevated amygdala response to faces following early deprivation. Developmental Science, 14(2), 190–204. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00971.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tottenham, N., Hare, T. A., Quinn, B. T., McCarry, T., Nurse, M., Gilhooly, T., et al. (2010). Prolonged institutional rearing is associated with atypically large amygdala volume and emotion regulation difficulties. Developmental Science, 13(1), 46–61. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00852.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderwert, R. E., Marshall, P. J., Nelson, C. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Fox, N. A. (2010). Timing of intervention affects brain electrical activity in children exposed to severe psychosocial neglect. PloS One: Public Library of Science, 5(7), e11415. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vorria, P., Papaligoura, Z., Dunn, J., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Steele, H., Kontopoulou, A., & Sarafidou, Y. (2003). Early experiences and attachment relationships of Greek infants raised in residential group care. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 44(8), 1208–1220. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vyas, A., Pillai, A. G., & Chattarji, S. (2004). Recovery after chronic stress fails to reverse amygdaloid neuronal hypertrophy and enhanced anxiety-like behavior. Neuroscience, 128(4), 667–673. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2004.07.013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z., & Aragona, B. J. (2004). Neurochemical regulation of pair bonding in male prairie voles. Physiology & Behavior, 83, 319–328. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.08.024.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weems, C. F., & Carrión, V. G. (2007). The association between PTSD symptoms and salivary cortisol in youth: The role of the time since the trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20, 903–907. doi:10.1002/jts.20251.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weems, C. F., Klabunde, M., Russell, J. D., Reiss, A. L., & Carrión, V. G. (2015). Posttraumatic stress and age variation in amygdala volumes among youth exposed to trauma. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. doi:10.1093/scan/nsv053.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weems, C. F., Scott, B. G., Russell, J. D., Reiss, A. L., & Carrión, V. G. (2013). Developmental variation in amygdala volumes among children with posttraumatic stress. Developmental Neuropsychology, 38, 481–495. doi:10.1080/87565641.2013.820307.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Welsh, J. A., Viana, A. G., Petrill, S. A., & Mathias, M. D. (2007). Interventions for internationally adopted children and families: A review of the literature. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24(3), 285–311. doi:10.1007/s10560-007-0085-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wismer Fries, A. B., Shirtcliff, E. A., & Pollak, S. D. (2008). Neuroendocrine dysregulation following early social deprivation in children. Developmental Psychobiology, 50(6), 588–599. doi:10.1002/dev.20319.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wismer Fries, A. B., Ziegler, T. E., Kurian, J. R., Jacoris, S., & Pollak, S. D. (2005). Early experience in humans is associated with changes in neuropeptides critical for regulating social behavior. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(47), 17237–17240. doi:10.1073/pnas.0504767102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt, D. M., Carter, C. S., & Walton, D. (1990). Central and peripheral effects of oxytocin administration in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 37, 63–69. doi:10.1016/0091-3057(90)90042-G.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Woon, F. L., & Hedges, D. W. (2008). Hippocampal and amygdala volumes in children and adults with childhood maltreatment-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis. Hippocampus, 18, 729–736. doi:10.1002/hipo.20437.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yagmurlu, B., Berument, S. K., & Celimli, S. (2005). The role of institution and home contexts in theory of mind development. Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 521–537. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2005.06.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy

    Gaia Perego, Marcella Caputi & Anna Ogliari

  2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy

    Anna Ogliari

Authors
  1. Gaia Perego
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marcella Caputi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anna Ogliari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcella Caputi.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Standards

The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Perego, G., Caputi, M. & Ogliari, A. Neurobiological Correlates of Psychosocial Deprivation in Children: A Systematic Review of Neuroscientific Contributions. Child Youth Care Forum 45, 329–352 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9340-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9340-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation