Psychiatry Investig.  2017 Jul;14(4):441-451. 10.4306/pi.2017.14.4.441.

Altered Function of Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Adolescents with Peer Verbal Abuse History

Affiliations
  • 1Computational Affective Neuroscience and Development Laboratory, Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. bs.jeong@kaist.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
  • 4Department of Psychology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
  • 5Department of Electrical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
  • 6KI for Health Science and Technology, KAIST Institute, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVE
Previous studies showing the association of exposure to peer (PeVA) and parental verbal abuse in childhood with structural alterations in the young adult brain suggest functional changes in adolescence. In this functional MRI study, we investigated the effects of exposure to PeVA, during elementary and middle school periods, on brain response to emotional words, in high school students.
METHODS
An emotional Stroop task consisting of swear, negative, positive, and neutral words was performed during functional MRI scan for 23 subjects who were divided into low- and high exposure groups to PeVA.
RESULTS
High-PeVA group had a higher depression score, greater left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity, and higher left VLPFC-left hippocampus connectivity in swear word conditions. The VLPFC activity and left VLPFC-left hippocampus connectivity was negatively related to the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively.
CONCLUSION
These preliminary findings support the hypothesis that exposure to PeVA, during childhood, is an aversive stimulus associated with meaningful functional change in emotional regulation network, showing hypersensitivity to swear words, at middle adolescence.

Keyword

Verbal abuse; Emotional trauma; Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; Adolescence; Depression

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Anxiety
Brain
Depression
Hippocampus
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Parents
Prefrontal Cortex*
Young Adult
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