Causal effects of the early caregiving environment on development of stress response systems in children

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 112; no. 18; pp. 5637 - 5642
• Main Authors: McLaughlin, Katie A., Sheridan, Margaret A., Tibu, Florin, Fox, Nathan A., Zeanah, Charles H., Nelson, Charles A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 05.05.2015; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: animal models; autonomic nervous system; Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology; Caregivers; Causality; Child care; Child, Institutionalized - psychology; Child, Preschool; children; Children & youth; Electrocardiography; Foster Home Care - psychology; human development; Humans; Hydrocortisone - metabolism; Hypersensitivity; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology; Infant; Longitudinal Studies; Nervous system; Pituitary-Adrenal System - physiology; Rodents; Romania; Social Sciences; Stress response; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Time Factors; Romania; Romania, Bucharest; stress reactivity; HPA axis; autonomic nervous system; early-life stress; childhood adversity

Significance Disruptions in stress response system functioning are thought to be a central mechanism by which exposure to adverse early-life environments influences human development. Although rodent models support this possibility, results from human studies have been decidedly mixed. Using data fr...