Article ID: 19-0024
Childhood maltreatment, which markedly increases risk of psychopathology, is associated with structural and functional brain abnormalities. Parental verbal abuse (PVA) or interparental violence during childhood is strongly associated with depression, PTSD, and reduced cognitive abilities. Other forms of childhood abuse have been associated with brain structure or developmental alteration. Our earlier studies elucidated the potential effects of PVA and domestic violence on the child's brain morphology, such as gray matter volume or cortical thickness. Subjects exposed to a single form of maltreatment might be particularly susceptible to the modification of brain regions that process and convey the adverse sensory input. Exposure to multiple types of maltreatment are more commonly associated with morphological alterations in the corticolimbic regions. These findings fit with preclinical studies that indicate the high plasticity of sensory cortices. Using tasks with high and low monetary rewards, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined whether neural activity during reward processing was altered in children and adolescents with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Significantly reduced activity in the caudate and nucleus accumbens was observed during a high monetary reward condition in the RAD group compared to the typically developed group while the striatal neural reward activity in the RAD group was markedly decreased. The present results suggest a dopaminergic dysfunction in the striatum of children and adolescents with RAD, potentially leading to a future risk of psychiatric disorders such as dependence.
