Youth With Adverse Experiences Develop Different Brain Structures

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Source: Medicine WUSTL

Experiencing certain traumatic events during childhood, such as abuse, poverty, or having a parent with an illness, can have major negative impacts on a child’s mental and physical well-being.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found depression and physical health problems to be linked to youth ages 9 to 15 who experienced multiple traumatic events.

Researchers found key structures in the brain for decision making are much smaller in youth who lived through more than 3 traumatic events.

The study examined more than 100 youth over the course of several years and involved MRI brain scans on children between the ages of 6 to 13.

Read Full Story: Medicine WUSTL

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