Scientists unveil how childhood trauma can ‘rewire’ brains

By Sharin Hussain via SWNS

Childhood trauma can "rewire" the brain, warns new research.

Scientists found that those under 18 who experienced severe stress will likely struggle with emotions, empathy and understanding their bodies.

The University of Essex research revealed a disruption in neural networks, a branch of machine learning models that involves self-focus and problem-solving.

The world’s largest brain study of childhood trauma showed how it affects development and rewires vital pathways.

The difficulties in school caused by memory, hard mental tasks and decision-making may also emerge.

Dr. Megan Klabunde, of the University's Department of Psychology, said: “Currently, science-based treatments for childhood trauma primarily focus on addressing the fearful thoughts and avoidance of trauma triggers.

“This is a very important part of trauma treatment. However, our study has revealed that we are only treating one part of the problem.

The cutting-edge research used AI to re-examine hundreds of brain scans and identify patterns that help hone in new treatments for children who have endured mistreatment.

That could mean therapists focus on techniques that rewire these centers and rebuild their sense of self.

Dr. Klabunde added: “Even when a child who has experienced trauma is not thinking about their traumatic experiences, their brains are struggling to process their sensations within their bodies.

“This influences how one thinks and feels about one’s ‘internal world’ and this also influences one’s ability to empathize and form relationships.”

The research, published in the journal, Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, reviewed 14 studies involving more than 580 children.

The paper re-examined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans and the procedure highlights blood flow in different centers, showing neurological activity.

The study discovered a marked difference in traumatized children’s default mode (DMN) and central executive networks (CEN), two large-scale brain systems.

The DMN and the posterior insula, a hub region of the brain, are involved in how people sense their body, the sense of self and their internal reflections.

New studies are finding that DMN plays an important role in most mental health problems - and may be influenced by experiencing childhood trauma.

The CEN is also more active than in healthy children, which means that children with trauma histories tend to ruminate and relive terrible experiences when triggered.

Dr. Klabunde hopes the research will be a springboard to find out more about how trauma affects developing minds.

She added: “Our brain findings indicate that childhood trauma treatments appear to be missing an important piece of the puzzle.

“In addition to preventing avoidance of scary situations and addressing one’s thoughts, trauma therapies in children should also address how trauma impacts one’s body, sense of self, emotional/empathetic processing, and relationships.

“This is important to do so since untreated symptoms will likely contribute to other health and mental health problems throughout the lifespan.”