Neural Responses to Caregivers after Early Life Threat Experiences
Saved in:
| Title: | Neural Responses to Caregivers after Early Life Threat Experiences |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nicolas Murgueitio (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Science. 2026 29(1). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | R01MH115004 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Early Experience, Cognitive Processes, Brain, Mothers, Parent Child Relationship, Interaction, Adoption, Social Services, Child Welfare, Cues, Young Children, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Social Cognition, Child Neglect |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70104 |
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| Abstract: | Evidence from rodent studies highlights the mother as a safety cue that regulates fear and biology. However, when infant rats are exposed to rough maternal care (i.e., threat), their brains show atypical patterns of activity in response to maternal cues. In humans, childhood adversity (i.e., international adoption, involvement with Child Protective Services) is also associated with differential neural responses to caregiver cues. However, to date, no studies have tested the hypothesis that childhood adversity characterized by threat (e.g., physical abuse, domestic violence) influences neural responses to caregiver cues in children, as suggested by the rodent literature. This study investigates associations between threat experiences and neural responses to caregiver cues in young children using fMRI. The sample included 148 young children (52.02% Male; M[subscript age] = 6.45 years). Across the entire sample, children demonstrated heightened recruitment in regions associated with salience detection, visual processing, and social cognition in response to caregiver cues (relative to stranger cues). Moreover, threat experiences were associated with greater recruitment of the insula in response to caregiver cues (relative to stranger cues), even when controlling for deprivation experiences. The present findings contribute to a growing field of research linking childhood adversity to brain function, suggesting that experiences of threat may disrupt how children process caregiver cues at the neural level. Moreover, these results are in line with rodent studies that underscore threat as a potential disruptor of dyadic interaction between children and their caregivers. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1492059 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Evidence from rodent studies highlights the mother as a safety cue that regulates fear and biology. However, when infant rats are exposed to rough maternal care (i.e., threat), their brains show atypical patterns of activity in response to maternal cues. In humans, childhood adversity (i.e., international adoption, involvement with Child Protective Services) is also associated with differential neural responses to caregiver cues. However, to date, no studies have tested the hypothesis that childhood adversity characterized by threat (e.g., physical abuse, domestic violence) influences neural responses to caregiver cues in children, as suggested by the rodent literature. This study investigates associations between threat experiences and neural responses to caregiver cues in young children using fMRI. The sample included 148 young children (52.02% Male; M[subscript age] = 6.45 years). Across the entire sample, children demonstrated heightened recruitment in regions associated with salience detection, visual processing, and social cognition in response to caregiver cues (relative to stranger cues). Moreover, threat experiences were associated with greater recruitment of the insula in response to caregiver cues (relative to stranger cues), even when controlling for deprivation experiences. The present findings contribute to a growing field of research linking childhood adversity to brain function, suggesting that experiences of threat may disrupt how children process caregiver cues at the neural level. Moreover, these results are in line with rodent studies that underscore threat as a potential disruptor of dyadic interaction between children and their caregivers. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70104 |
