SD Lab research shows early-life deprivation related to institutional rearing in childhood face lasting changes in trajectories of brain development into adolescence

October 11, 2022
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In a recent paper published in Science Advances, Stress and Development Lab research demonstrates that children who experience early-life deprivation related to institutional rearing experience lasting changes in trajectories of brain development into adolescence.  Critically, this research showed that children who were randomly assigned to be removed from institutional care and placed into families had patterns of brain development in adolescence that more closely resembled children who had never been institutionalized, demonstrating a causal effect of early family caregiving on brain development in adolescence.  These findings highlight the lasting impact of early experience on brain development, and provide compelling evidence for the importance of not separating children from caregivers early in life.

This work was led by Dr. Margaret Sheridan at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Katie McLaughlin - lab Director - was the senior author.

Read Science Advances press release about the study here: https://www.aaas.org/news/social-neglect-during-institutional-care-may-a...

Read the full study here:1010 KB