Childhood adversity and hippocampal and amygdala volumes in a population at familial high risk of schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: There is an established link between childhood adversity (CA) and schizophrenia. Hippocampus and amygdala abnormalities pre-date onset in those at high familial risk (fHR) of schizophrenia, but it is not clear whether these alterations are associated with CA in those at elevated risk of schizophrenia.

Methods: We examined hippocampal and amygdala volumes in those at fHR who had been referred to a social worker or the Children's Panel compared to those who had not.

Results: The right hippocampus and left amygdala were significantly smaller in those that had been referred to social work and Children's Panel.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that CA can influence structural changes in the brain in a cohort at fHR of schizophrenia. These findings provide further evidence that while genetic factors contribute to the structural changes found in schizophrenia, environmental factors such as CA can have a lasting impact on specific brain regions.

Keywords: Amygdala; Childhood adversity; Familial high risk; Hippocampus; Schizophrenia.