Abstract
Early adversity influences brain development and emerging behavioral phenotypes relevant for psychiatric disorders. Understanding the effects of adversity before and after conception on brain development has implications for contextualizing current public health crises and pervasive health inequities. The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brain at rest has shifted understanding of brain functioning and organization in the earliest periods of life. Here we review applications of this technique to examine effects of early life stress (ELS) on neurodevelopment in infancy, and highlight targets for future research. Building on the foundation of existing work in this area will require tackling significant challenges, including greater inclusion of often marginalized segments of society, and conducting larger, properly powered studies.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 276-288 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Trends in Neurosciences |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Support for this work was provided by R00 MH111805 (A.M.G.), R34DA050291 (A.M.G. & D.A.F.), R34DA050291-S2 (A.M.G. and D.A.F.), R01 MH096773 (D.A.F.), R01 MH115357 (D.A.F.), R01MH105538 (C.B.and D.A.F.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Keywords
- brain development
- early life stress
- functional brain networks
- prenatal stress
- resting state functional connectivity MRI