Persistent structural alteration of the extended limbic system in adolescents with childhood maltreatment
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is related to structural alterations in adult limbic regions. However, the change in limbic structures remains unclear in adolescents from the general population since most reports stem from clinical samples. Additionally, large longitudinal neuroimaging studies in community adolescents reporting CM are scarce. Hence, we aimed to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between CM and the structure and function of the extended limbic and reward systems throughout adolescence. METHODS: = 529). Using 3-Tesla T1 MRI, we performed between-group voxel-wise analyses at ages 14 and 18 to investigate grey matter volumes (GMV). In addition, GMV were investigated longitudinally between ages 14 and 18. Finally, using functional MRI and the Monetary Incentive Delay task, we measured reward anticipation and feedback sensitivity between groups at ages 14 and 18. RESULTS: Both at ages 14 and 18, adolescents reporting CM had lower GMV in the right insula, left orbitofrontal cortex, putamen, superior medial frontal gyrus, paracentral lobule, and other paralimbic regions, but no significant differences in reward response. Longitudinal analyses revealed no GMV difference between age groups. CONCLUSION: CM was associated with GMV alterations persisting from early to late adolescence in the limbic regions in community individuals. Therefore, these findings further support the need for research on targeted preventive interventions for adolescents who have experienced CM.
Source: European Psychiatry
Authors: Julia Ruiz-Fernandez, Aveline Aouidad, Marie-Laure Paillère Martinot, Alice V. Chavanne, Tobias Banaschewski, Gareth J. Barker, Andreas Becker, Arun L.W. Bokde, Rüdiger Brühl, Sylvane Desrivières, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Yvonne Grimmer, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Corinna Insensee, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomáš Paus, Jani Penttilä, Luise Poutska, Nathalie Holz, Christian Baeuchl, Michael N. Smolka, Argyris Stringaris, Nilakshi Vaidya, Betteke van Noort, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter Schumann, David Cohen, Jean-Luc Martinot, Eric Artiges
Institutions: Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Saclay, Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, Sorbonne Université, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Heidelberg University, King's College London, Trinity College Dublin, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, University of Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim, University of Vermont, University of Nottingham, Freie Universität Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Université de Montréal, University Hospital Heidelberg, Technische Universität Dresden, University College London, MSB Medical School Berlin, Fudan University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,300
Awards: G1457739725, G1934804014, SFB 940: Volition und kognitive Kontrolle: Mechanismen, Modulatoren, Dysfunktionen, G3322928043, Establishing causal relationships between biopsychosocial predictors and correlates of eating disorders and their mediation by neural pathways, G3986097662, FOR 1617: Lern und Gewöhnungsprozesse als Prädiktoren für die Entwicklung und Aufrechterhaltung alkoholbezogener Störungen, G4094304398, G4103250882, G4143403763, G49163856, G5798575183, Muster des aversiven und appetitiven Pavlovscheninstrumentellen Transfers und die Rolle von Stress über die Lebensspanne, G7578079922, G7626502092, G8045556744, Neurobiological underpinning of eating disorders: integrative biopsychosocial longitudinal analyses in adolescents, G88412094
OpenAlex ID: W7124979658
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