PARIS: The psychological effects of child neglect can have lasting problems on the brain, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers found changes in white matter of the brain when examining the physical effects of the issue.
Severe neglect in childhood may cause structural changes in the white matter of the brain, the researchers report, although early intervention may prevent or even possibly reverse such changes.
The study led by Boston Children’s Hospital analyzed the consequences of neglect on brain development in children in Romania, comparing brain differences between those who were abandoned and institutionalized, sent to institutions and then to foster families, or who were raised in biological families.
Children who were not raised in a family environment — in other words, raised solely in institutions — had detectable alterations in the white matter of their brains later on, while the brains of children placed with a foster family looked mostly similar to those of children raised with their biological families, the researchers reported in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Previous studies have found children raised in institutional environments, where access to language and cognitive stimulation is often limited, often show a lack of development.
