There were many studies in the past that tell us about the link between traumatic experiences in childhood and their negative impact on brain development. A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics Journal discovered that severe childhood neglect can cause changes in brain structures especially in the white matter.
Experts from Boston Children's Hospital found out that neglect has effects on brain development among 136 orphans and abandoned children in Romania. They were part of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP) that started 15 years ago, Medical News Today reported.
Their subjects were abandoned children who were 2 years old at the time of the study. They were in institutional care that time and had spent more than a year there. Before the start of the study, these children were divided into two groups and were randomly assigned to each group. They were either moved to foster care or made to stay in the orphanage.
According to the authors as quoted by Medical News Today, "As part of the program, foster parents were encouraged to develop responsive, committed relationships with their child, were educated on the child's specialized cognitive and emotional needs, and were provided guidance on behavioral management strategies to support the child's optimal development."
For baseline data, all the children underwent developmental assessments and a comparison was made among children who were under the care of institutional organizations and those who were raised by their biological families.
Kids who were not raised in their biological families had prominent alterations in the white matter of their brains as shown in their brain scans. On the other hand, children who were raised with foster families had similar results with children who are with their biological families.
Meanwhile, children who were raised in institutional care have limited access to language and cognitive stimulation which is a reason why their development is altered. There were noted changes in their white matter as compared to those who were raised with a family that would take care of them.
In conclusion, these findings attest to the evidence that severe neglect in early years of life can affect the structural integrity in the brain when they grow up that can lead to development problems.
"Our findings have important implications for public health related to early prevention and intervention for children reared in conditions of severe neglect or adverse contexts more generally," authors said. However, they are recommending for more studies to be conducted on this subject to add to the growing evidence about the connection between neglect and brain development among children.
