Childhood abuse can have long-term effects on a person’s poor physical health and susceptibility to traumatic events, according to a new study. Individuals who have experienced childhood abuse, such as emotional, physical and sexual abuse, or emotional and physical neglect, are more likely to develop mental illness later in life, but it is not clear whether this risk is due to being abused. Why does it persist even after decades?
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from the University of Cambridge and Leiden University found that childhood abuse continues to affect adult brains because these experiences increase the likelihood of obesity, inflammation and traumatic events, All of which are risk factors for poor health and well-being, affecting brain structure and thus brain health.
Researchers examined MRI brain scans of nearly 21,000 adult participants aged 40 to 70 in the UK Biobank, as well as data on body mass index (an indicator of metabolic health), CRP (a blood marker of inflammation) and exposure to childhood abuse. Gave information about experiences. Adult trauma.
Sofia Orellana, a PhD student in the Department of Psychiatry and Darwin College at the University of Cambridge, said: “We have known for some time that people who experience abuse or neglect in childhood are more likely to experience long-term mental health problems well into adulthood. And their experiences can also cause long-term problems for the brain, immune system, and metabolic system, which ultimately control your heart health or tendency to diabetes, for example. It is not clear how all these effects interact. Let’s strengthen each other.”
Using a type of statistical modeling that allowed them to determine how these interactions work, the researchers confirmed that experiencing childhood maltreatment made individuals more likely to have increased body mass index (or obesity). and experience higher rates of stroke in adulthood. Individuals with a history of abuse show signs of dysfunction in their immune systems, and researchers showed that this dysfunction is a result of obesity and repeated exposure to traumatic events.
Subsequently, the researchers expanded their model to include MRI measurements of the adult brain and were able to show that widespread increases and decreases in brain thickness and volume associated with higher body mass index, inflammation, and trauma in childhood. were responsible for the abuse, which aggravated these factors. Possibly in first place. These changes in brain structure may mean that brain cells are experiencing some type of physical damage, affecting the way they work.
Although there is much more to be done to understand how these effects work at the cellular level in the brain, the researchers believe their findings advance our understanding of how adverse events in childhood shape the brain and Can increase the risk of brain health disorders.
Professor Ed Bullmore, of the Department of Psychiatry and Honorary Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge, said: “Now that we have a better understanding of why childhood abuse has long-term effects, we can potentially look for biomarkers – biological red flags – can indicate whether a person is at increased risk of persistent problems. This can help us quickly focus on those who need help most, and hopefully end this chain of ill health. It will help them to break it.” (ANI)
