Abstract
Background: The quality of the early environment is hypothesized to be an influence on morphological development in key neural areas related to affective responding, but direct evidence to support this possibility is limited. In a 22-year longitudinal study, we examined hippocampal and amygdala volumes in adulthood in relation to early infant attachment status, an important indicator of the quality of the early caregiving environment. Methods: Participants (N = 59) were derived from a prospective longitudinal study of the impact of maternal postnatal depression on child development. Infant attachment status (24 Secure; 35 Insecure) was observed at 18 months of age, and MRI assessments were completed at 22 years. Results: In line with hypotheses, insecure versus secure infant attachment status was associated with larger amygdala volumes in young adults, an effect that was not accounted for by maternal depression history. We did not find early infant attachment status to predict hippocampal volumes. Conclusions: Common variations in the quality of early environment are associated with gross alterations in amygdala morphology in the adult brain. Further research is required to establish the neural changes that underpin the volumetric differences reported here, and any functional implications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 540-548 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 23 Aug 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2015 |
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Keywords
- Attachment
- Brain development
- Amygdala
- Longitudinal
- Maternal depression
Cite this
Insecure attachment during infancy predicts greater amygdala volumes in early adulthood. / Moutsiana, Christina; Johnstone, Tom; Murray, Lynne; Fearon, Pasco; Cooper, Peter J.; Pliatsikas, Christos; Goodyer, Ian; Halligan, Sarah L.
In: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 56, No. 5, 01.05.2015, p. 540-548.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Insecure attachment during infancy predicts greater amygdala volumes in early adulthood
AU - Moutsiana, Christina
AU - Johnstone, Tom
AU - Murray, Lynne
AU - Fearon, Pasco
AU - Cooper, Peter J.
AU - Pliatsikas, Christos
AU - Goodyer, Ian
AU - Halligan, Sarah L.
PY - 2015/5/1
Y1 - 2015/5/1
N2 - Background: The quality of the early environment is hypothesized to be an influence on morphological development in key neural areas related to affective responding, but direct evidence to support this possibility is limited. In a 22-year longitudinal study, we examined hippocampal and amygdala volumes in adulthood in relation to early infant attachment status, an important indicator of the quality of the early caregiving environment. Methods: Participants (N = 59) were derived from a prospective longitudinal study of the impact of maternal postnatal depression on child development. Infant attachment status (24 Secure; 35 Insecure) was observed at 18 months of age, and MRI assessments were completed at 22 years. Results: In line with hypotheses, insecure versus secure infant attachment status was associated with larger amygdala volumes in young adults, an effect that was not accounted for by maternal depression history. We did not find early infant attachment status to predict hippocampal volumes. Conclusions: Common variations in the quality of early environment are associated with gross alterations in amygdala morphology in the adult brain. Further research is required to establish the neural changes that underpin the volumetric differences reported here, and any functional implications.
AB - Background: The quality of the early environment is hypothesized to be an influence on morphological development in key neural areas related to affective responding, but direct evidence to support this possibility is limited. In a 22-year longitudinal study, we examined hippocampal and amygdala volumes in adulthood in relation to early infant attachment status, an important indicator of the quality of the early caregiving environment. Methods: Participants (N = 59) were derived from a prospective longitudinal study of the impact of maternal postnatal depression on child development. Infant attachment status (24 Secure; 35 Insecure) was observed at 18 months of age, and MRI assessments were completed at 22 years. Results: In line with hypotheses, insecure versus secure infant attachment status was associated with larger amygdala volumes in young adults, an effect that was not accounted for by maternal depression history. We did not find early infant attachment status to predict hippocampal volumes. Conclusions: Common variations in the quality of early environment are associated with gross alterations in amygdala morphology in the adult brain. Further research is required to establish the neural changes that underpin the volumetric differences reported here, and any functional implications.
KW - Attachment
KW - Brain development
KW - Amygdala
KW - Longitudinal
KW - Maternal depression
U2 - 10.1111/jcpp.12317
DO - 10.1111/jcpp.12317
M3 - Article
VL - 56
SP - 540
EP - 548
JO - Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
JF - Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
SN - 0021-9630
IS - 5
ER -