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Alterations in neural circuits underlying emotion regulation following child maltreatment: a mechanism underlying trauma-related psychopathology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 April 2020

Jessica L. Jenness Open the ORCID record for Jessica L. Jenness [Opens in a new window] ,
Matthew Peverill Open the ORCID record for Matthew Peverill [Opens in a new window] ,
Adam Bryant Miller Open the ORCID record for Adam Bryant Miller [Opens in a new window] ,
Charlotte Heleniak Open the ORCID record for Charlotte Heleniak [Opens in a new window] ,
Madeline M. Robertson Open the ORCID record for Madeline M. Robertson [Opens in a new window] ,
Kelly A. Sambrook Open the ORCID record for Kelly A. Sambrook [Opens in a new window] ,
Margaret A. Sheridan Open the ORCID record for Margaret A. Sheridan [Opens in a new window]  and
Katie A. McLaughlin Open the ORCID record for Katie A. McLaughlin [Opens in a new window]
Jessica L. Jenness*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Matthew Peverill
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Adam Bryant Miller
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Charlotte Heleniak
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Madeline M. Robertson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Kelly A. Sambrook
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Margaret A. Sheridan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Katie A. McLaughlin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Jessica Jenness, E-mail: jennessj@uw.edu
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Abstract

Background

Disruptions in neural circuits underlying emotion regulation (ER) may be a mechanism linking child maltreatment with psychopathology. We examined the associations of maltreatment with neural responses during passive viewing of negative emotional stimuli and attempts to modulate emotional responses. We investigated whether the influence of maltreatment on neural activation during ER differed across development and whether alterations in brain function mediated the association between maltreatment and a latent general psychopathology (‘p’) factor.

Methods

Youth aged 8–16 years with (n = 79) and without (n = 72) exposure to maltreatment completed an ER task assessing neural responses during passive viewing of negative and neutral images and effortful attempts to regulate emotional responses to negative stimuli. P-factor scores were defined by a bi-factor model encompassing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology.

Results

Maltreated youth had greater activation in left amygdala and salience processing regions and reduced activation in multiple regions involved in cognitive control (bilateral superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) when viewing negative v. neutral images than youth without maltreatment exposure. Reduced neural recruitment in cognitive control regions mediated the association of maltreatment with p-factor in whole-brain analysis. Maltreated youth exhibited increasing recruitment with age in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during reappraisal while control participants exhibited decreasing recruitment with age. Findings were similar after adjusting for co-occurring neglect.

Conclusions

Child maltreatment influences the development of regions associated with salience processing and cognitive control during ER in ways that contribute to psychopathology.

Keywords

Child maltreatmentcognitive control networkemotion regulationfMRIP-factorsalience network
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 51 , Issue 11 , August 2021 , pp. 1880 - 1889
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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