The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes
Researchers interested in the effects of early experiences of caregiving adversity have employed neuroscientific methods to illuminate whether and how such environmental input impacts on brain development, and whether and how such impacts underpin poor socioemotional outcomes in this population. Evi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1332898/full |
| _version_ | 1827311398470811648 |
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| author | Paula S. Oliveira |
| author_facet | Paula S. Oliveira |
| author_sort | Paula S. Oliveira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Researchers interested in the effects of early experiences of caregiving adversity have employed neuroscientific methods to illuminate whether and how such environmental input impacts on brain development, and whether and how such impacts underpin poor socioemotional outcomes in this population. Evidence is compelling in documenting negative effects on the individual’s neurodevelopment following exposure to adverse or disadvantaged environments such as institutionalization or maltreatment. Neuroimaging research focused specifically on attachment-relevant processing of socioemotional stimuli and attachment outcomes among children looked-after is scarcer, but largely consistent. This review begins by summarizing the key general brain structural and functional alterations associated with caregiving deprivation. Then, neuroscientific evidence that is more directly relevant for understanding these children’s attachment outcomes, both by employing social stimuli and by correlating children’s neural markers with their attachment profiles, is reviewed. Brief interpretations of findings are suggested, and key limitations and gaps in the literature identified. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:18:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5229eaa005d14f40b25f3d02dfebdf30 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:18:22Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-5229eaa005d14f40b25f3d02dfebdf302024-03-22T10:24:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532024-02-011810.3389/fnbeh.2024.13328981332898The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomesPaula S. OliveiraResearchers interested in the effects of early experiences of caregiving adversity have employed neuroscientific methods to illuminate whether and how such environmental input impacts on brain development, and whether and how such impacts underpin poor socioemotional outcomes in this population. Evidence is compelling in documenting negative effects on the individual’s neurodevelopment following exposure to adverse or disadvantaged environments such as institutionalization or maltreatment. Neuroimaging research focused specifically on attachment-relevant processing of socioemotional stimuli and attachment outcomes among children looked-after is scarcer, but largely consistent. This review begins by summarizing the key general brain structural and functional alterations associated with caregiving deprivation. Then, neuroscientific evidence that is more directly relevant for understanding these children’s attachment outcomes, both by employing social stimuli and by correlating children’s neural markers with their attachment profiles, is reviewed. Brief interpretations of findings are suggested, and key limitations and gaps in the literature identified.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1332898/fullbrain developmentlooked after children/children in careattachmentreactive attachment disorder (RAD)disinhibited social engagement disorderinstitutionalization |
| spellingShingle | Paula S. Oliveira The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience brain development looked after children/children in care attachment reactive attachment disorder (RAD) disinhibited social engagement disorder institutionalization |
| title | The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes |
| title_full | The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes |
| title_fullStr | The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes |
| title_short | The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children’s attachment outcomes |
| title_sort | impact of out of home care on brain development a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children s attachment outcomes |
| topic | brain development looked after children/children in care attachment reactive attachment disorder (RAD) disinhibited social engagement disorder institutionalization |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1332898/full |
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