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. 2024 Oct 14:15:1401745.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1401745. eCollection 2024.

Adverse childhood experiences, brain function, and psychiatric diagnoses in a large adult clinical cohort

David B Keator  1   2   3 , Frank Salgado  2 , Caroline Madigan  4 , Sydnyy Murray  2 , Stephanie Norris  5 , Daniel Amen  1   2
Affiliations

Adverse childhood experiences, brain function, and psychiatric diagnoses in a large adult clinical cohort

David B Keator et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to higher rates of psychiatric disorders in adults. Previous neuroimaging studies with small samples have shown associations between ACEs and alterations in brain volume, connectivity, and blood flow. However, no study has explored these associations in a large clinical population to identify brain regions that may mediate the relationship between ACEs and psychiatric diagnoses. This study aims to evaluate how patient-reported ACEs are associated with brain function in adults, across diagnoses.

Methods: We analyzed 7,275 adults using HMPAO SPECT scans at rest and during a continuous performance task (CPT). We assessed the impact of ACEs on brain function across psychiatric diagnoses and performed mediation analyses where brain functional regions of interest acted as mediators between patient-reported ACEs and specific psychiatric diagnoses. We further evaluated the risk of being diagnosed with specific classes of mental illnesses as a function of increasing ACEs and identified which specific ACE questions were statistically related to each diagnosis in this cohort.

Results: Increased ACEs were associated with higher activity in cognitive control and default mode networks and decreased activity in the dorsal striatum and cerebellum. Higher ACEs increased the risk of anxiety-related disorders, substance abuse, and depression. Several brain regions were identified as potential mediators between ACEs and adult psychiatric diagnoses.

Discussion: This study, utilizing a large clinical cohort, provides new insights into the neurobiological mechanisms linking ACEs to adult psychiatric conditions. The findings suggest that specific brain regions mediate the effects of ACEs on the risk of developing mental health disorders, highlighting potential targets for therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: SPECT; adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); brain function; neuroimaging; psychiatric disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author DK holds an appointment at the University of California, Irvine, to study neuroimaging biomarkers in psychiatric disorders using PET and MRI modalities in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Author DK is also employed at the Amen Clinics Inc. and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life Foundation and receives a salary for research studies and technological innovations for SPECT neuroimaging in psychiatry. Authors FS and SM are employed at the Amen Clinics Inc. and support research done at the clinics. Author DA is the founder and CEO of Amen Clinics and the Change Your Brain, Change Your Life Foundation. He receives a salary from Amen Clinics. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cortical and sub-cortical areas showing statistically significant [t(1,7268) = 2.45; p < 0.05 FDR corrected] associations with increasing ACE scores. Areas in red/yellow show regions of higher perfusion with increasing ACE scores. Areas in blue/green show regions of lower perfusion with increasing ACE scores.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Axial, sagittal, and coronal slices showing statistically significant [t(1,7268) = 2.45; p < 0.05 FDR corrected] associations with increasing ACE scores. Areas in red/yellow show regions of higher perfusion with increasing ACE scores. Areas in blue/green show regions of lower perfusion with increasing ACE scores.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mediation model path diagram showing each component of the models: ACE total score (x), SPECT brain function meditation variable (m), and diagnostic outcome variable (y).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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