White matter microstructure abnormalities in children experiencing neglect without other forms of maltreatment.

IF 3.9 2区综合性期刊 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

Scientific Reports Pub Date : 2025-07-26 DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-13363-y

Natasha Y S Kawata, Takashi X Fujisawa, Kai Makita, Akiko Yao, Hidehiko Okazawa, Akemi Tomoda

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Abstract

Childhood maltreatment can disrupt brain development, leading to vulnerabilities in white matter (WM) microstructure, compromised brain integrity, and various psychiatric disorders. Among different forms of maltreatment, neglect is the most common; however, limited data exist on its specific impact on the brain. This study utilized diffusion tensor imaging to examine WM microstructure differences between neglected children without other types of maltreatment (Neglect, n = 21) and typically developing controls (TD, n = 106). Additionally, the study explored the relationship between WM microstructure alterations and psychosocial problems observed in neglected children. Neglected children exhibited larger axial diffusion (AD) in regions such as the right corticospinal tract (R.CST), right superior longitudinal fasciculus (R.SLF), and left cingulum (L.CG) compared to typically developing children. Increased AD in the R.CST, L.CG, and R.SLF was associated with conduct problems. These findings suggest that alterations in WM microstructure contributed to behavioral symptoms in neglected children.

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遭受忽视而无其他形式虐待的儿童的白质微结构异常。

童年虐待会扰乱大脑发育，导致白质（WM）微观结构的脆弱性，损害大脑完整性，以及各种精神疾病。在各种形式的虐待中，忽视是最常见的；然而，关于它对大脑的具体影响的数据有限。本研究利用弥散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging）研究了未受其他类型虐待的被忽视儿童（Neglect, n = 21）和典型发育对照组（TD, n = 106）的WM微结构差异。此外，本研究还探讨了在被忽视儿童中观察到的WM微结构改变与心理社会问题之间的关系。与正常发育的儿童相比，被忽视儿童在右侧皮质脊髓束（R.CST）、右侧上纵束（R.SLF）和左侧扣带（L.CG）等区域表现出更大的轴向扩散（AD）。rcst、lcg和rslf的AD增加与行为问题有关。这些发现表明WM微结构的改变有助于被忽视儿童的行为症状。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Scientific Reports Natural Science Disciplines-

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

4.30%

发文量

19567

审稿时长

3.9 months

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