Teicher Martin H, Tomoda Akemi, Andersen Susan L
Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006 Jul;1071:313-23. doi: 10.1196/annals.1364.024.
Recent studies have reported an association between exposure to childhood abuse or neglect and alterations in brain structure or function. One limitation of these studies is that they are correlational and do not provide evidence of a cause-effect relationship. Preclinical studies on the effects of exposure to early life stress can demonstrate causality, and can enrich our understanding of the clinical research if we hypothesize that the consequences of early abuse are predominantly mediated through the induction of stress responses. Exposure to early abuse and early stress has each been associated with the emergence of epileptiform electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities, alterations in corpus callosum area, and reduced volume or synaptic density of the hippocampus. Further, there is evidence that different brain regions have unique periods when they are maximally sensitive to the effects of early stress. To date, preclinical studies have guided clinical investigations and will continue to provide important insight into studies on molecular mechanisms and gene-environment interactions.
近期研究报告了童年期受虐待或忽视与脑结构或功能改变之间的关联。这些研究的一个局限性在于它们是相关性的，并未提供因果关系的证据。关于早年生活应激影响的临床前研究能够证明因果关系，并且如果我们假设早期虐待的后果主要是通过应激反应的诱导来介导的，那么这些研究可以丰富我们对临床研究的理解。早年受虐待和早年应激均与癫痫样脑电图（EEG）异常的出现、胼胝体区域的改变以及海马体体积减小或突触密度降低有关。此外，有证据表明不同脑区在对早期应激影响最为敏感时有其独特的时期。迄今为止，临床前研究已经为临床调查提供了指导，并将继续为分子机制和基因 - 环境相互作用的研究提供重要见解。
