Elevated amygdala response to faces following early deprivation

Abstract

A functional neuroimaging study examined the long‐term neural correlates of early adverse rearing conditions in humans as they relate to socio‐emotional development. Previously institutionalized (PI) children and a same‐aged comparison group were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing an Emotional Face Go/Nogo task. PI children showed heightened activity of the amygdala, a region that supports emotional learning and reactivity to emotional stimuli, and corresponding decreases in cortical regions that support perceptual and cognitive functions. Amygdala activity was associated with decreased eye‐contact as measured by eye‐tracking methods and during a live dyadic interaction. The association between early rearing environment and subsequent eye‐contact was mediated by amygdala activity. These data support the hypothesis that early adversity alters human brain development in a way that can persist into childhood, and they offer insight into the socio‐emotional disturbances in human behavior following early adversity.