{"title":"Adverse childhood experiences and left hippocampal volumetric reductions: A structural magnetic resonance imaging study","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.09.039","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with volume alterations of stress-related brain structures among aging and clinical populations, however, existing studies have predominantly assessed only one type of ACE, with small sample sizes, and it is less clear if these associations exist among a general population of young adults.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The aims were to describe structural hippocampal volumetric differences by ACEs exposure and investigate the association between ACEs exposure and left and right hippocampal volume in a student sample of young adults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>959 young adult students (18–24 years old) completed an online questionnaire on ACEs, mental health conditions, and sociodemographic characteristics. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure left and right hippocampal volume (mm<sup>3</sup>). We used linear regression to explore the differences of hippocampal volumes in university students with and without ACEs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Two thirds of students (65.9%) reported ACEs exposure. As ACEs exposure increased there were significant volumetric reductions in left (p < 0.0001) and right hippocampal volume (p = 0.001) and left (p = 0.0023) and right (p = 0.0013) amygdala volume. After adjusting for intracranial brain volume, sex, age, and depression diagnosis there was a negative association between ACEs exposure and left (β = −22.6, CI = −44.5, −0.7, p = 0.0412) but not right hippocampal volume (β = −18.3, CI = −39.2, 2.6, p = 0.0792). After adjusting for intracranial volume there were no associations between ACEs exposure and left (β = −9.2, CI = −26.2, 7.9 p = 0.2926) or right (β = −5.6, CI = −19.9,8.8 p = 0.4466) amygdala volume.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Hippocampal volume varied by ACEs exposure in young adult students. ACEs appear to contribute to neuroanatomic differences in young adults from the general population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16868,"journal":{"name":"Journal of psychiatric research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of psychiatric research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395624005612","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with volume alterations of stress-related brain structures among aging and clinical populations, however, existing studies have predominantly assessed only one type of ACE, with small sample sizes, and it is less clear if these associations exist among a general population of young adults.
Objective
The aims were to describe structural hippocampal volumetric differences by ACEs exposure and investigate the association between ACEs exposure and left and right hippocampal volume in a student sample of young adults.
Methods
959 young adult students (18–24 years old) completed an online questionnaire on ACEs, mental health conditions, and sociodemographic characteristics. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure left and right hippocampal volume (mm3). We used linear regression to explore the differences of hippocampal volumes in university students with and without ACEs.
Results
Two thirds of students (65.9%) reported ACEs exposure. As ACEs exposure increased there were significant volumetric reductions in left (p < 0.0001) and right hippocampal volume (p = 0.001) and left (p = 0.0023) and right (p = 0.0013) amygdala volume. After adjusting for intracranial brain volume, sex, age, and depression diagnosis there was a negative association between ACEs exposure and left (β = −22.6, CI = −44.5, −0.7, p = 0.0412) but not right hippocampal volume (β = −18.3, CI = −39.2, 2.6, p = 0.0792). After adjusting for intracranial volume there were no associations between ACEs exposure and left (β = −9.2, CI = −26.2, 7.9 p = 0.2926) or right (β = −5.6, CI = −19.9,8.8 p = 0.4466) amygdala volume.
Conclusions
Hippocampal volume varied by ACEs exposure in young adult students. ACEs appear to contribute to neuroanatomic differences in young adults from the general population.
期刊介绍:
Founded in 1961 to report on the latest work in psychiatry and cognate disciplines, the Journal of Psychiatric Research is dedicated to innovative and timely studies of four important areas of research:
(1) clinical studies of all disciplines relating to psychiatric illness, as well as normal human behaviour, including biochemical, physiological, genetic, environmental, social, psychological and epidemiological factors;
(2) basic studies pertaining to psychiatry in such fields as neuropsychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology, electrophysiology, genetics, experimental psychology and epidemiology;
(3) the growing application of clinical laboratory techniques in psychiatry, including imagery and spectroscopy of the brain, molecular biology and computer sciences;