Early childhood stress exposure, reward pathways, and adult decision making.

ABSTRACT: Individuals who have experienced chronic and high levels of stress during their childhoods are at increased risk for a wide range of behavioral problems, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. We measured the life circumstances of a community sample of school-aged children and then followed these children for a decade. Those from the highest and lowest quintiles of childhood stress exposure were invited to return to our laboratory as young adults, at which time we reassessed their life circumstances, acquired fMRI data during a reward-processing task, and tested their judgment and decision making. Individuals who experienced high levels of early life stress showed lower levels of brain activation when processing cues signaling potential loss a

SUBMITTER: Birn RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5754769 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature