Unpredictability and lack of contingent caregiver responding in childhood is associated with increased adolescent externalizing behaviors and altered prefrontal-hippocampal-amygdala circuits¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Longitudinal research finds unpredictability of the childhood environment, quantified via changes in maternal employment, residence, and cohabitation, is associated with increased externalizing behaviors in adolescence while SES was not related. → Karen E. Smith and Seth D. Pollak 2020 q2 i? Rodent research suggests these effects result from altered prefrontal-hippocampal-amygdala functioning, with unpredictable maternal inputs associated with altered medial PFC-amygdala connectivity and decreased hippocampal dendritic arborization beyond effects of maternal input type. → Karen E. Smith and Seth D. Pollak 2020 (2)

Evidence¶

Karen E. Smith and Seth D. Pollak 2020¶

Karen E. Smith and Seth D. Pollak. (2020). Early life stress and development: potential mechanisms for adverse outcomes. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-020-09337-y

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review synthesis of longitudinal human research on environmental unpredictability. The review reports unpredictability quantified via changes in maternal employment, residence, and cohabitation "is associated with increased externalizing behaviors in adolescence while SES was not related." No effect sizes are printed.

"Longitudinal research assessing early influences on adolescents ’ externalizing behaviors finds that unpredictability of the environment during childhood, quantified using changes in maternal employ- ment, changes in residence, and changes in cohabitation, is associated with increased externalizing behaviors in adolescence while SES was not related [ 205]."

Karen E. Smith and Seth D. Pollak 2020 (2)¶

Karen E. Smith and Seth D. Pollak. (2020). Early life stress and development: potential mechanisms for adverse outcomes. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-020-09337-y

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review synthesis of rodent research on unpredictable maternal inputs. The review reports "unpredictable maternal inputs are associated with altered connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala" and decreased hippocampal dendritic arborization beyond type-of-input effects, linked to PTSD and depressive-like behaviors and learning deficits. No effect sizes are printed.

"unpredictable maternal in- puts are associated with altered connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala [ 91]a sw e l l as decreased dendritic arborization in the hippocampus [206] beyond effects produced by types of maternal inputs."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Early life stress produces structural and functional alterations in prefrontal-hippocampal-amygdala circuits in animals and humans, with reduced hippocampal volume among the most reliable human findings — related
• Threat and deprivation show overlapping effects on PFC-amygdala connectivity and hippocampal volume — related
• Chronicity, developmental timing, and intensity of adversity exposure shape children's neurobiological stress responses — related
• The probability of school failure increases as a function of the timing and length of children's exposure to relational adversity — related
• Exposure to adverse early circumstances affects the developing brain in ways that increase risk for later problems — a broader claim this one bears on
• Lower SES adolescents show greater stress-related increase in serotonin transporter gene methylation, associated with greater amygdala reactivity and depression symptoms — related