Annual Research Review: Pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder from a neurodevelopmental network perspective

Background Experiencing traumatic stress is common and may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a number of children and adolescents. Research using advanced imaging techniques is beginning to elucidate some of the neurobiological correlates of the traumatic stress response in youth. Meth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of child psychology and psychiatry 2019-04, Vol.60 (4), p.395-408
Main Authors: Weems, Carl F., Russell, Justin D., Neill, Erin L., McCurdy, Bethany H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain
brain development
Brain research
Child & adolescent psychiatry
Childhood
Developmental approach
Early life experiences
Functional connectivity
Life stress
Magnetic resonance imaging
network analysis
Networks
Neuroimaging
Pediatrics
Post traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Stressful events
structural connectivity
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Summary:Background Experiencing traumatic stress is common and may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a number of children and adolescents. Research using advanced imaging techniques is beginning to elucidate some of the neurobiological correlates of the traumatic stress response in youth. Methods This paper summarizes the emerging network perspective of PTSD symptoms and reviews brain imaging research emphasizing structural and functional connectivity studies that employ magnetic resonance imaging techniques in pediatric samples. Results Differences in structural connections and distributed functional networks such as the salience, default mode, and central executive networks are associated with traumatic and severe early life stress. The role of development has been relatively underappreciated in extant studies though there is evidence that critical brain regions as well as the structural and functional networks implicated undergo significant change in childhood and these typical developmental differences may be affected by traumatic stress. Conclusions Future research will benefit from adopting a truly developmental approach that considers children's growth as a meaningful effect (rather than simply a covariate) interacting with traumatic stress to predict disruptions in the anatomical, functional, and connective aspects of brain systems thought to underlie the network of PTSD symptoms. Linking symptom networks with neurodevelopmental network models may be a promising avenue for future work. Read the Commentary on this article at doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13049
ISSN:0021-9630
1469-7610
DOI:10.1111/jcpp.12996