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Lower structural integrity of the uncinate fasciculus is associated with a history of child maltreatment and future psychological vulnerability to stress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2015

Jamie L. Hanson ,
Annchen R. Knodt ,
Bartholomew D. Brigidi  and
Ahmad R. Hariri
Jamie L. Hanson*
Affiliation:
Duke University University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Annchen R. Knodt
Affiliation:
Duke University
Bartholomew D. Brigidi
Affiliation:
Duke University
Ahmad R. Hariri
Affiliation:
Duke University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jamie Hanson, Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Duke University, 417 Chapel Drive, Duke West Campus, Sociology–Psychology Building, Room 07A, Durham, NC 27710; E-mail: jlh125@duke.edu.
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Abstract

The experience of child maltreatment is a significant risk factor for the development of later internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety. This risk is particularly heightened after exposure to additional, more contemporaneous stress. While behavioral evidence exists for such “stress sensitization,” little is known about the mechanisms mediating such relationships, particularly within the brain. Here we report that the experience of child maltreatment independent of recent life stress, gender, and age is associated with reduced structural integrity of the uncinate fasciculus, a major white matter pathway between the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, in young adults. We further demonstrate that individuals with lower uncinate fasciculus integrity at baseline who subsequently experience stressful life events report higher levels of internalizing symptomatology at follow-up. Our findings suggest a novel neurobiological mechanism linking child maltreatment with later internalizing symptoms, specifically altered structural connectivity within the brain's threat-detection and emotion-regulation circuitry.

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Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 27 , Special Issue 4pt2: Multilevel Developmental Perspectives on Child Maltreatment , November 2015 , pp. 1611 - 1619
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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