Insecure attachment during infancy predicts greater amygdala volumes in early adulthood : WestminsterResearch

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Title	Insecure attachment during infancy predicts greater amygdala volumes in early adulthood
Type	Journal article
Authors	Moutsiana, C., Johnstone, T., Murray, L., Fearon, P., Cooper, P.J., Pliatsikas, C., Goodyer, I. and Halligan, S.L.
Abstract	Background The quality of the early environment is hypothesized to be an influence on morphological development in key neural areas related to affective responding, but direct evidence to support this possibility is limited. In a 22-year longitudinal study, we examined hippocampal and amygdala volumes in adulthood in relation to early infant attachment status, an important indicator of the quality of the early caregiving environment. Methods Participants (N = 59) were derived from a prospective longitudinal study of the impact of maternal postnatal depression on child development. Infant attachment status (35 Secure; 24 Insecure) was observed at 18 months of age, and MRI assessments were completed at 22 years. Results In line with hypotheses, insecure versus secure infant attachment status was associated with larger amygdala volumes in young adults, an effect that was not accounted for by maternal depression history. We did not find early infant attachment status to predict hippocampal volumes. Conclusions Common variations in the quality of early environment are associated with gross alterations in amygdala morphology in the adult brain. Further research is required to establish the neural changes that underpin the volumetric differences reported here, and any functional implications.
Journal	Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Journal citation	56 (5)
ISSN	0021-9630
Year	2015
Publisher	Wiley
Publisher's version	jcpp_published_2014b.pdf
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12317
Published online	23 Aug 2014
Published in print	May 2015
Published	23 Aug 2014
License	CC BY 3.0

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Insecure attachment during infancy predicts greater amygdala volumes in early adulthood

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