Early life stress and development: potential mechanisms for adverse outcomes

Chronic and/or extreme stress in early life, often referred to as early adversity, childhood trauma, or early life stress, has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects on development. However, while early life stress has been linked to negative effects on a number of neural systems, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders 2020-12, Vol.12 (1), p.34-15, Article 34
Main Authors: Smith, Karen E, Pollak, Seth D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Amygdala
Child
Children
Children & youth
Developmental disorders
Dopamine receptors
Early adversity
Early life stress
Humans
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
Hypothalamus
Nervous system
Neurobiological development
Neurobiology
Neurosciences
Physiology
Pituitary
Pituitary-Adrenal System
Psychopathology
Review
Stress (Psychology)
Stress response
Stress, Psychological
Trauma
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Summary:Chronic and/or extreme stress in early life, often referred to as early adversity, childhood trauma, or early life stress, has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects on development. However, while early life stress has been linked to negative effects on a number of neural systems, the specific mechanisms through which early life stress influences development and individual differences in children's outcomes are still not well understood. The current paper reviews the existing literature on the neurobiological effects of early life stress and their ties to children's psychological and behavioral development. Early life stress has persistent and pervasive effects on prefrontal-hypothalamic-amygdala and dopaminergic circuits that are at least partially mediated by alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. However, to date, this research has primarily utilized methods of assessment that focus solely on children's event exposures. Incorporating assessment of factors that influence children's interpretation of stressors, along with stressful events, has the potential to provide further insight into the mechanisms contributing to individual differences in neurodevelopmental effects of early life stress. This can aid in further elucidating specific mechanisms through which these neurobiological changes influence development and contribute to risk for psychopathology and health disorders.
ISSN:1866-1947
1866-1955
1866-1955
DOI:10.1186/s11689-020-09337-y