A landmark study published in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience has provided important insights into how adverse environmental influences can lead to persistent changes in the structure of the human brain. Researchers from the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, Germany, and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior in the Netherlands have found that different types of adversity, ranging from the prenatal period to adulthood, can leave a stable neurobiological signature in the brain.
MRI scans at 25 and 33 years of age
The researchers used an innovative approach based on machine learning that works similarly to growth and weight curves used in pediatrics to classify the individual physical developmental status of children and adolescents. They analyzed a group of individuals followed from birth into adulthood who were at increased risk for psychiatric disorders, who experienced adversities such as birth complications, family problems and traumatic events. Using MRI scans, the researchers examined adversity-related structural changes in the brains of these individuals at ages 25 and 33 and compared them to age-related brain development based on 20,000 individuals.
Profound alterations in the brain
The study found widespread changes related to adversity in the brain of the 25-year-olds, which were still detectable at age 33. The results were reproduced in an independent group of individuals with similar stress encounters. Interestingly, various forms of adversity resulted in distinct brain change patterns. For example, psychosocial adversity was related to accelerated development in limbic regions, whereas birth complications were related to delayed brain development.
Most significantly, individuals whose brain volumes deviated more from expected changes related to adversity exhibited increased anxiety symptoms. This suggests that neurobiological changes beyond the predicted pattern may contribute to psychological problems.
Better predicting individual risks
The results of this study provide valuable insights into the link between environmental influences, brain development and mental health. The developed models could enhance predictions of individual psychiatric disorder risks and potentially facilitate targeted treatment approaches in the future.
“Our study shows that adversity over the life course may profoundly influence brain structure. This opens up new possibilities for predicting and understanding brain changes that may underlie mental illness,” says Dr. Nathalie Holz, a researcher at CIMH and lead author of the study. In this way, it may become possible, for example, to understand why some people who experience adversity during their lives develop mental illnesses while others do not.
Publication:
Holz, N.E., Zabihi, M., Kia, S.M. et al.: A stable and replicable neural signature of lifespan adversity in the adult brain. Nat Neurosci 26, 1603–1612 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-023-01410-8