Orphanage care linked to thinner brain tissue in regions related to ADHD

When I worked for a short time in a preschool, the lady who took care of the babies let them lay in their cribs crying. She didn't pick them up and interact with them. This was a comparatively low cost chain, where the workers were paid minimum wage, while the owner was a millionaire.

Of course, if a baby's parents don't interact with them, it will have the same effect.

http://www.washington.edu/news/2014/10/14/orphanage-care-linked-to-thinner-brain-tissue-in-regions-related-to-adhd/

Hannah Hickey
Oct. 14, 2014
The research was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Under the rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, thousands of Romanian children were placed in overcrowded orphanages with bleak conditions and minimal human contact. Even after the 1989 revolution, the legacy of institutionalization continued. Only recently has research and public concern over early childhood environments caused changes in policies.

University of Washington research on children who began life in these institutions shows that early childhood neglect is associated with changes in brain structure. A paper published this month in Biological Psychiatry shows that children who spent their early years in these institutions have thinner brain tissue in cortical areas that correspond to impulse control and attention.

“These differences suggest a way that the early care environment has dramatic and lasting effects for children’s functioning,” said lead author Katie McLaughlin, a UW assistant professor of psychology.

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The brain scan images can explain more than 75 percent of the difference in symptoms of ADHD between kids who did and did not spend time in institutions. Thinning was seen in children who left the institution as early as 8 months of age. Researchers also found that the thinner the brain tissue, the more symptoms of inattention and impulsivity the children displayed.

Researchers did not find differences in the volume of sub-cortical structures. No significant difference was seen between girls and boys, who were about equally represented.

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The researchers can’t pinpoint exactly which conditions acted to alter brain development. Babies in the institutions had their physical needs met but they lacked socialization, language exposure, human touch and emotional attachment with their caregiver.

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The results are meaningful for other countries, such as those in Africa, where orphanages and institutions are becoming more common. The findings may also be relevant for less-extreme situations of neglect.

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