Published online June 1, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 6 June 2006, pp. 2093-2100 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1727)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (6)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Eluvathingal, T. J.
Right arrow Articles by Makki, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Eluvathingal, T. J.
Right arrow Articles by Makki, M.
Related Collections
Right arrow Neurology & Psychiatry

Abnormal Brain Connectivity in Children After Early Severe Socioemotional Deprivation: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Thomas J. Eluvathingal, MDa, Harry T. Chugani, MDa,b,c, Michael E. Behen, PhDa,d, Csaba Juhász, MD, PhDa,b, Otto Muzik, PhDa,c, Mohsin Maqbool, MDa, Diane C. Chugani, PhDa,c and Malek Makki, PhDa

a Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
b Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
c Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
d Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

OBJECTIVES. We previously reported that children who were subjected to early socioemotional deprivation in Romanian orphanages showed glucose hypometabolism in limbic and paralimbic structures, including the orbital frontal gyrus, infralimbic prefrontal cortex, hippocampus/amygdala, lateral temporal cortex, and the brainstem. The present study used diffusion tensor imaging tractography to examine the integrity of white matter tracts that connect these brain regions.

METHODS. Fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient for uncinate fasciculus, stria terminalis, fornix, and cingulum were measured in 7 right-handed children (5 girls and 2 boys; mean age: 9.7 ± 2.6 years) with a history of early severe socioemotional deprivation in Eastern European orphanages and compared with similar measurements in 7 right-handed normal children (4 girls and 3 boys; mean age: 10.7 ± 2.8 years).

RESULTS. Neuropsychological assessment of the orphans verified the relatively mild specific cognitive impairment and impulsivity consistent with previous studies of children who were adopted from Romanian orphanages. Fractional anisotropy values in the left uncinate fasciculus were decreased significantly in the early deprivation group compared with control subjects. Apparent diffusion coefficient values for the early deprivation group tended to be greater than that in control subjects in all of the tracts measured, without reaching statistical significance.

CONCLUSION. Our study demonstrates in children who experienced socioemotional deprivation a structural change in the left uncinate fasciculus that partly may underlie the cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral difficulties that commonly are observed in these children.

Key Words: behavior disorders/problems • social-emotional problems • MRI • early childhood • diffusion tensor imaging

Abbreviations: PET—positron emission tomography • fMRI—functional MRI • DTI—diffusion tensor imaging • FA—fractional anisotropy • ADC—apparent diffusion coefficient • CSF—cerebrospinal fluid

Accepted Nov 29, 2005.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Cereb CortexHome page
Z. Petanjek, M. Judas, I. Kostovic, and H. B.M. Uylings
Lifespan Alterations of Basal Dendritic Trees of Pyramidal Neurons in the Human Prefrontal Cortex: A Layer-Specific Pattern
Cereb Cortex, April 1, 2008; 18(4): 915 - 929.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CLIN PEDIATRHome page
D. Nazer and V. J. Palusci
Child Sexual Abuse: Can Anatomy Explain the Presentation?
Clinical Pediatrics, February 1, 2008; 47(1): 7 - 14.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 ScienceHome page
C. A. Nelson III, C. H. Zeanah, N. A. Fox, P. J. Marshall, A. T. Smyke, and D. Guthrie
Cognitive Recovery in Socially Deprived Young Children: The Bucharest Early Intervention Project
Science, December 21, 2007; 318(5858): 1937 - 1940.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Cereb CortexHome page
T. J. Eluvathingal, K. M. Hasan, L. Kramer, J. M. Fletcher, and L. Ewing-Cobbs
Quantitative Diffusion Tensor Tractography of Association and Projection Fibers in Normally Developing Children and Adolescents
Cereb Cortex, December 1, 2007; 17(12): 2760 - 2768.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed.Home page
M. Augustyn and B. Zuckerman
From mother's mouth to infant's brain
Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed., March 1, 2007; 92(2): F82 - F82.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BMJHome page
Minerva
BMJ, July 15, 2006; 333(7559): 156 - 156.
[Full Text] [PDF]