Early life stress and psychopathology : The effects of early life stress on brain development: Implications for psychopathology

Abstract: Several studies have shown that children who grow up under adverse care giving conditions are prone to develop a broad spectrum of different problems, ranging from mild depression to severe psychosomatic pathology later in life. A carefully treated child develops a different attachment strategy and biochemical response than a maltreated child. Early adverse events seem to program the stress response to become either over or under reactive which in turn have the potential to alter brain development. Major consequences include reduced plasticity and abnormal frontal lobe activity. This review further investigates the emotional and cognitive development in children exposed to early life abuse or neglect, trying to get a comprehensive picture of different symptoms that might contribute to later psychopathology.