Abdulrasul Hassan, Brice Henry, Jasińska Kaja K
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2025 Mar 3;73:101532. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101532.
This study investigated the neurodevelopmental impacts of displacement on resettled Syrian refugee children in Canada, focusing on how the timing and duration of adversity experienced during displacement influence neural network organization. Using graph theoretical approaches within a network neuroscience framework, we examined how the developmental timing of displacement (age of displacement, duration of displacement) related to functional integration, segregation, and small-worldness. Syrian refugee children (n = 61, M=14 Range = 8-18), completed a resting state scan using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging. Data were analyzed to assess the link between neural network properties and developmental timing of adversity. Results indicate that prolonged displacement experienced earlier in life was significantly linked with neural network organization, impacting the balance between the brain's functional integration and segregation as quantified by the overall reduced small worldness in comparison to experiencing displacement at an older age. This study leverages the experiences of refugee children to advance our understanding of how the timing of adversity affects development, providing valuable insights into the broader impacts of early adversity on neurodevelopment.
本研究调查了流离失所对加拿大重新安置的叙利亚难民儿童神经发育的影响，重点关注流离失所期间经历逆境的时间和持续时间如何影响神经网络组织。在网络神经科学框架内使用图论方法，我们研究了流离失所的发育时间（流离失所年龄、流离失所持续时间）与功能整合、分离和小世界性质之间的关系。叙利亚难民儿童（n = 61，M = 14，范围 = 8 - 18岁）使用功能性近红外光谱（fNIRS）神经成像完成了静息状态扫描。对数据进行分析以评估神经网络特性与逆境发育时间之间的联系。结果表明，早年经历的长期流离失所与神经网络组织显著相关，与在较大年龄经历流离失所相比，通过整体小世界性质降低量化，影响了大脑功能整合与分离之间的平衡。本研究利用难民儿童的经历来增进我们对逆境时间如何影响发育的理解，为早期逆境对神经发育的更广泛影响提供了有价值的见解。
