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Review
. 2017 Feb 22:14:471-479.
doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.016. eCollection 2017.

Meta-analysis of associations between childhood adversity and hippocampus and amygdala volume in non-clinical and general population samples

Maria Calem  1 , Konstantinos Bromis  2 , Philip McGuire  1 , Craig Morgan  3 , Matthew J Kempton  4
Affiliations
Review

Meta-analysis of associations between childhood adversity and hippocampus and amygdala volume in non-clinical and general population samples

Maria Calem et al. Neuroimage Clin. .

Abstract

Background: Studies of psychiatric populations have reported associations between childhood adversity and volumes of stress-related brain structures. This meta-analysis investigated these associations in non-clinical samples and therefore independent of the effects of severe mental health difficulties and their treatment.

Methods: The MEDLINE database was searched for magnetic resonance imaging studies measuring brain structure in adults with and without childhood adversity. Fifteen eligible papers (1781 participants) reporting hippocampal volumes and/or amygdala volumes were pooled using a random effects meta-analysis.

Results: Those with childhood adversity had lower hippocampus volumes (hedges g = - 0.15, p = 0.010). Controlling for gender, this difference became less evident (hedges g = - 0.12, p = 0.124). This association differed depending on whether studies included participants with some psychopathology, though this may be due to differences in the type of adversity these studies examined. There was no strong evidence of any differences in amygdala volume.

Discussion: Childhood adversity may have only a modest impact on stress-related brain structures in those without significant mental health difficulties.

Keywords: Adversity; Child abuse; Neuroimaging; Stress.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1
Forest plots showing effect sizes of studies of hippocampal volume differences between healthy control with and without a history of childhood adversity, not controlling gender. Positive effect sizes indicate the region has increased volume in those with childhood adversity, negative effects sizes indicate the region has decreased volume in those with childhood adversity. For each study, the circle indicates the effect size, and the horizontal lines indicate the 95% confidence intervals. The size of the circle represents the relative weight of the particular study in the overall meta-analysis. The diamond at the bottom of each graph represents the overall effect calculated using a random effects model.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2
Forest plots showing effect sizes of studies of hippocampal volume differences between healthy control with and without a history of childhood adversity, controlled for gender (effect sizes from women are in blue; effect sizes from men are in green). Positive effect sizes indicate the region has increased volume in those with childhood adversity, negative effects sizes indicate the region has decreased volume in those with childhood adversity. For each study, the circle indicates the effect size, and the horizontal lines indicate the 95% confidence intervals. The size of the circle represents the relative weight of the particular study in the overall meta-analysis. The diamond at the bottom of each graph represents the overall effect calculated using a random effects model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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