Abstract
Purpose of Review
PTSD in youth is common and debilitating. In contrast to adult PTSD, relatively little is known about the neurobiology of pediatric PTSD, nor how neurodevelopment may be altered. This review summarizes recent neuroimaging studies in pediatric PTSD and discusses implications for future study.
Recent Findings
Pediatric PTSD is characterized by abnormal structure and function in neural circuitry supporting threat processing and emotion regulation. Furthermore, cross-sectional studies suggest that youth with PTSD have abnormal frontolimbic development compared to typically developing youth. Examples include declining hippocampal volume, increasing amygdala reactivity, and declining amygdala-prefrontal coupling with age.
Summary
Pediatric PTSD is characterized by both overt and developmental abnormalities in frontolimbic circuitry. Notably, abnormal frontolimbic development may contribute to increasing threat reactivity and weaker emotion regulation as youth age. Longitudinal studies of pediatric PTSD are needed to characterize individual outcomes and determine whether current treatments are capable of restoring healthy neurodevelopment.
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Acknowledgements
Dr. Herringa’s work as reviewed here has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (K08 MH100267), the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (NIH/NCATS UL1TR000427).
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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Disaster Psychiatry: Trauma, PTSD, and Related Disorders
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Herringa, R.J. Trauma, PTSD, and the Developing Brain. Curr Psychiatry Rep 19, 69 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0825-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0825-3