Exposure to traumatic experiences during childhood can have a negative impact on brain development in its most vulnerable stage. Cases of child abuse are more common than what is shown in the media; According to downward estimates, more than 45,000 Australian children were exposed to abuse in 2015 and 2016. Difficulties during childhood can include experiences such as emotional, physical and sexual abuse, sudden abandonment or loss of a parent or guardian.
Adversities during the first years are an important risk factor for the development of psychological and behavioral problems in the future. In the case of adults who suffered child abuse the rates of depression, suicidal tendencies, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders and aggressive behaviors are higher.
Traumatic events in childhood also contribute to increased drug use and even drug dependence. Drugs are started at a much earlier age in those adults who have experienced childhood trauma and having experienced stressful events during childhood can increase the impact of such events throughout life. If we add other factors such as parental divorce or family unemployment, the chances of developing psychological disorders or addiction are even greater.
But not all children with a stressful childhood end up developing a mental illness. It seems that the way we deal with stressful experiences depends not only on our previous experiences, but also on our genes, the way we adopt situations and brain regulation. The chemical components of the brain such as cortisol and oxytocin directly influence stress and emotional regulation.
What is oxytocin?
The amount of oxytocin in the brain is different in each person and women and men regulate this hormone differently, although it is important in the daily functioning of both sexes. Variations in the oxytocin gene affect even the way we react to stress.
Environmental factors can also influence the development of the oxytocin system, which begins to develop in the uterus and continues to develop after birth. Critical changes occur during the first years, childhood and adolescence, depending on our experiences. Positive or negative experiences at the beginning of our life can change the oxytocin system.
If a child has affectionate and affectionate parents, this system will develop normally, but if the child is exposed to difficulties such as stress or illness, its development may be adversely affected, as well as the functioning of oxytocin and Oxytocin receptors.
The impact of stress during the first years
Studies in rodents have taught us that the development of the oxytocin system is altered by early traumas. Stress during the first months of life changes the levels of oxytocin within the hypothalamus and tonsil, important brain regions in oxytocin production and emotional regulation, respectively. Even the functioning of the oxytocin receptor is altered when there is a traumatic experience during the first years of life.
In the case of humans exposed to childhood trauma, the changes are similar: women who have been exposed to child abuse showed lower levels of oxytocin at later ages, as did men who had experienced childhood stress. Oxytocin levels were also lower in children who had been raised under negligent conditions in a Romanian orphanage.
These changes have a lasting effect and affect behavior. Exposure to difficulties during the first years increases anxiety and depressive behaviors in rodents, something that endures in adult life.
Research has shown that stress in the early years can affect the development of the oxytocin system, which results in a greater susceptibility to develop drug dependence and be less able to cope with stress.
In turn, a well-regulated oxytocin system can increase the ability to resist drug abuse or addiction. Animal studies show that oxytocin can increase the reward of social connection, decrease the effect of drugs, reduce anxiety and improve the management of stressors. However, we still need more research in humans.
Events that cause stress during the first years not only affect the oxytocin system, but other systems that depend on oxytocin also change, as is the case with important neurotransmitters and stress system. This may result in changes in the way in which these systems interact and contribute to changes in the oxytocin system and behavior.
Because oxytocin has a critical role in emotional regulation, understanding how the developing oxytocin system may be affected during the first years can help us understand how earlier adversities can have a lasting impact on Mental health.Authors: Sarah Baracz, Associate Professor at Macquarie University, and Femke Buisman-Pijlman, Chair in addiction studies, University of Adelaide, Australia.
This article has originally been published in The Conversation. You can read the original article here.
Translated by Silvestre Urbón.
