Background
Children raised in institutional settings are exposed to social and environmental
circumstances that may deprive them of expected environmental inputs during sensitive
periods of brain development that are necessary to foster healthy development. This
deprivation is thought to underlie the abnormalities in neurodevelopment that have
been found in previously institutionalized children. It is unknown whether deviations
in neurodevelopment explain the high rates of developmental problems evident in previously
institutionalized children, including psychiatric disorders.
Methods
We present data from a sample of children raised in institutions in Bucharest, Romania
(n = 117) and an age- and sex-matched sample of community control subjects (n = 49). Electroencephalogram data were acquired following entry into the study at
age 6 to 30 months, and a structured diagnostic interview of psychiatric disorders
was completed at age 54 months.
Results
Children reared in institutions evidenced greater symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, anxiety, depression, and disruptive behavior disorders than community controls.
Electroencephalogram revealed significant reductions in alpha relative power and increases
in theta relative power among children reared in institutions in frontal, temporal,
and occipital regions, suggesting a delay in cortical maturation. This pattern of
brain activity predicted symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity at age 54 months,
and significantly mediated the association between institutionalization and attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder symptoms. Electroencephalogram power was unrelated to depression, anxiety,
or disruptive behaviors.
Conclusions
These findings document a potential neurodevelopmental mechanism underlying the association
between institutionalization and psychiatric morbidity. Deprivation in social and
environmental conditions may perturb early patterns of neurodevelopment and manifest
as psychiatric problems later in life.
Key Words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 26, 2010
Accepted:
April 8,
2010
Received in revised form:
April 5,
2010
Received:
December 12,
2009
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
