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A.E. Bennett Research Award. Developmental traumatology. Part II: Brain development
De Bellis MD, Keshavan MS, Clark DB, Casey BJ, Giedd JN, Boring AM, Frustaci K, Ryan ND.. Biological psychiatry, 1999-05-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Background Previous investigations suggest that maltreated children with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) evidence alterations of biological stress systems. Increased levels of catecholaminergic neurotransmitters and steroid hormones during traumatic experiences in childhood could conceivably adversely affect brain development. Methods In this study, 44 maltreated children and adolescents with PTSD and 61 matched controls underwent comprehensive psychiatric and neuropsychological assessments and an anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan. Results PTSD subjects had smaller intracranial and cerebral volumes than matched controls. The total midsagittal area of corpus callosum and middle and posterior regions remained smaller; while right, left, and total lateral ventricles were proportionally larger than controls, after adjustment for intracranial volume. Brain volume robustly and positively correlated with age of onset of PTSD trauma and negatively correlated with duration of abuse. Symptoms of intrusive thoughts, avoidance, hyperarousal or dissociation correlated positively with ventricular volume, and negatively with brain volume and total corpus callosum and regional measures. Significant gender by diagnosis effect revealed greater corpus callosum area reduction in maltreated males with PTSD and a trend for greater cerebral volume reduction than maltreated females with PTSD. The predicted decrease in hippocampal volume seen in adult PTSD was not seen in these subjects. Conclusions These data suggest that the overwhelming stress of maltreatment experiences in childhood is associated with adverse brain development.
Key findings
- Background Previous investigations suggest that maltreated children with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) evidence alterations of biological stress systems.
- Results PTSD subjects had smaller intracranial and cerebral volumes than matched controls.
- Significant gender by diagnosis effect revealed greater corpus callosum area reduction in maltreated males with PTSD and a trend for greater cerebral volume reduction than maltreated females with PTSD.
- Conclusions These data suggest that the overwhelming stress of maltreatment experiences in childhood is associated with adverse brain development.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 36 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Biological psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1999 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 10349033) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 21 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 21 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 36 out of 100. |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
De Bellis, M. D., Keshavan, M. S., Clark, D. B., Casey, B. J., Giedd, J. N., Boring, A. M., et al. (1999). A.E. Bennett Research Award. Developmental traumatology. Part II: Brain development. Biological psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00045-1
Vancouver
De Bellis MD, Keshavan MS, Clark DB, Casey BJ, Giedd JN, Boring AM, et al. A.E. Bennett Research Award. Developmental traumatology. Part II: Brain development. Biological psychiatry. 1999. doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00045-1. PMID: 10349033.
BibTeX
@article{debellis1999-10349033,
author = {De Bellis, M. D. and Keshavan, M. S. and Clark, D. B. and Casey, B. J. and Giedd, J. N. and Boring, A. M. and Frustaci, K. and Ryan, N. D.},
title = {{A.E. Bennett Research Award. Developmental traumatology. Part II: Brain development}},
journal = {Biological psychiatry},
year = {1999},
doi = {10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00045-1},
pmid = {10349033},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00045-1}
}