Scientists have proven that childhood trauma leaves a real physical mark on the brain

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles have discovered that childhood abuse leaves a physical mark on the human brain. The results of a large-scale study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry showed that experienced violence directly alters the thickness of the brain's cortex and the volume of its individual regions.

The specialists analyzed magnetic resonance imaging scans of 3,711 people from eight countries. The sample included patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and healthy volunteers. Participants filled out questionnaires that allowed researchers to assess the severity of violence experienced in childhood. By comparing the scans with charts of normal brain development, the scientists found that severe abuse leads to abnormal enlargement of the thalamus and globus pallidus, thinning of the cingulate gyrus, and expansion of the orbitofrontal cortex.

Outwardly, such deviations may manifest as a lack of impulse control, difficulties with planning and following through on tasks, as well as emotional rigidity that causes irritability when facing even minor challenges.

"We know that childhood trauma is a major risk factor for many disorders, including depression and PTSD, and we wanted to find out whether these experiences leave a kind of neurobiological scar," explained the study's author, UCLA psychology professor Tiffany Ho.

During childhood, the brain actively forms neural connections and possesses high sensitivity to external conditions, which specialists refer to as neuroplasticity. An adverse environment during this period can permanently distort the development of certain regions. The consequences of abuse were most pronounced in young women—possibly because girls are more frequently subjected to sexualized violence or because their brains react more acutely to stress. In men, the changes were less pronounced.

In turn, emotional neglect of a child's needs caused more localized shifts. In young men, it affected only the temporal lobe, while in young women it was limited to areas of the corpus callosum. The authors emphasize that the identified anomalies do not allow conclusions about people's intellectual abilities; however, they demonstrate the real physiological consequences of psychological trauma.