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Neuroimaging in children, adolescents and young adults with psychological trauma

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Abstract

Childhood psychological trauma is a strong predictor of psychopathology. Preclinical research points to the influence of this type of trauma on brain development. However, the effects of psychological trauma on the developing human brain are less known and a challenging question is whether the effects can be reversed or even prevented. The aim of this review is to give an overview of neuroimaging studies in traumatized juveniles and young adults up till 2012. Neuroimaging studies in children and adolescents with traumatic experiences were found to be scarce. Most studies were performed by a small number of research groups in the United States and examined structural abnormalities. The reduction in hippocampal volume reported in adults with PTSD could not be confirmed in juveniles. The most consistent finding in children and adolescents, who experienced psychological trauma are structural abnormalities of the corpus callosum. We could not identify any studies investigating treatment effects. Neuroimaging studies in traumatized children and adolescents clearly lag behind studies in traumatized adults as well as studies on ADHD and autism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academic Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-LUMC, Endegeesterstraatweg 27, 2342 AK, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands

    Mirjam A. W. Rinne-Albers & Robert R. J. M. Vermeiren

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, LUMC, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Nic J. A. van der Wee & Robert R. J. M. Vermeiren

  3. Faculty of Psychology and Education, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Francien Lamers-Winkelman & Robert R. J. M. Vermeiren

  4. Kinder en Jeugd Traumacentrum (KJTC), Haarlem, The Netherlands

    Francien Lamers-Winkelman

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  1. Mirjam A. W. Rinne-Albers
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  3. Francien Lamers-Winkelman
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Correspondence to Mirjam A. W. Rinne-Albers.

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Rinne-Albers, M.A.W., van der Wee, N.J.A., Lamers-Winkelman, F. et al. Neuroimaging in children, adolescents and young adults with psychological trauma. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 22, 745–755 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-013-0410-1

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