(Press-News.org) SMC Labels – Peer reviewed observational study on humans
Childhood maltreatment is associated with greater cognitive difficulties than previously thought
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and City University of New York suggests that the cognitive difficulties associated with childhood maltreatment, and particularly neglect, have been grossly underestimated in previous studies.
The research, published in Lancet Psychiatry, suggests that the overreliance on retrospective self-reports of maltreatment in research has resulted in a biased evidence base that overlooks the challenges faced by children and young people with documented exposure to maltreatment.
Researchers in this study tested the relative associations of court-documented exposure to, and adult recall of, childhood maltreatment with cognitive abilities within the same individuals. 1179 participants were identified from an ongoing cohort in the USA. All participants underwent a variety of tests in order to assess their cognitive abilities in adult life.
Researchers found that participants with official records of childhood maltreatment showed, on average, cognitive deficits across most tests undertaken compared to those without records. In contrast, the participants who retrospectively self-reported maltreatment did not demonstrate deficits when compared with those without reports.
Researchers also noted that these findings were not consistent across the different types of maltreatment. Participants who had documented experiences of neglect demonstrated cognitive deficits, but those who had documented experiences of physical and sexual abuse did not.
Andrea Danese, Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at King’s IoPPN and one of the study’s co-authors said, “While there are some important exceptions, most research in this area has relied on retrospective reports of childhood maltreatment from adult participants. Our study has shown that this reliance on retrospective reports has likely resulted in researchers and clinicians underestimating the extent to which individuals with documented cases of maltreatment, and particularly neglect, are experiencing cognitive deficits.
“Our study highlights the importance of identifying young people who have experienced neglect so that the proper support can be put in place, for example, to mitigate the negative consequences in education and employment.”
More research is needed to understand why individuals with documented histories of neglect have cognitive deficits. The researchers suspect this might be due to a lack of stimulation in childhood, the familial transmission of cognitive challenges, and/or the role of other experiences that often accompany neglect, such as family poverty. Disentangling the mechanisms underlying the observed associations will provide helpful insights to develop effective interventions.
This research was supported by funding from the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute on Aging.
Ends
Objective and subjective experiences of childhood maltreatment and their relationships with cognitive deficits: a cohort study in the USA (DOI10.1016/ S2215-0366(24)00209-8) (Andrea Danese, Cathy Spatz Widom) was published in Lancet Psychiatry.
For more information, please contact Patrick O’Brien (Media Manager)
About King’s College London and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
King’s College London is amongst the top 35 universities in the world and top 10 in Europe (THE World University Rankings 2023), and one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities.
With an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research, King’s maintained its sixth position for ‘research power’ in the UK (2021 Research Excellence Framework).
King's has more than 33,000 students (including more than 12,800 postgraduates) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 8,500 staff. The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe. It produces more highly cited outputs (top 1% citations) on psychiatry and mental health than any other centre (SciVal 2021), and on this metric has risen from 16th (2014) to 4th (2021) in the world for highly cited neuroscience outputs. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), 90% of research at the IoPPN was deemed ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (3* and 4*). World-leading research from the IoPPN has made, and continues to make, an impact on how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness, neurological conditions, and other conditions that affect the brain.
www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn | Follow @KingsIoPPN on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
END
Childhood maltreatment is associated with greater cognitive difficulties than previously thought
2024-08-14
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Crook croc Cuisine: Could a bad dinner save a species?
2024-08-14
Scientists from Macquarie University working with Bunuba Indigenous rangers and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia have trialled a new way to protect freshwater crocodiles from deadly invasive cane toads spreading across northern Australia.
Freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) are a culturally significant animal and part of traditional owners’ Dreamtime stories in the region. The loss of these predators also upsets the delicate balance of local ecosystems.
The group’s research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society: B on August 14, shows a method to significantly reduce freshwater ...
Orlando Health first in the world to use Abbott's new blood test for traumatic brain injuries
2024-08-14
Orlando, FL (Aug. 13, 2024) – Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) is the first hospital in the world to use a new, groundbreaking blood test to help assess patients with suspected mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or concussions. The rapid TBI blood test provides results in just 15 minutes and was developed by Abbott, in collaboration with the Department of Defense, and built upon innovative research that Orlando Health’s Dr. Linda Papa and others helped pioneer over 20 years ago.
According to the National Institutes of Health, traumatic brain injury from accidents or sports is a leading cause of death and disability in ...
Swipe up! Health apps deliver real results en masse
2024-08-14
In a new study, researchers synthesised data from 206,873 people across 47 studies, finding that digital health tools – like mobile apps, websites, and text messages – can significantly improve health and wellbeing by keeping you active, boosting steps, and improving your diet and sleep.
Specifically, electronic and mobile health interventions can help people achieve:
1329 more steps / day
55 minutes more moderate-to-vigorous exercise / week
45 minutes more overall physical activity / week
7 hours less sedentary behaviour / week
103 fewer calories consumed / day
20% more fruits and vegetables consumed / day
5.5 grams less saturated fat consumed / day
1.9 ...
Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24
2024-08-14
Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the first edition of a new systematic annual review.
The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events ...
Exciting advance in stem cell therapy
2024-08-13
A new technique developed by McGill researchers for mechanically manipulating stem cells could lead to new stem cell treatments, which have yet to fulfill their therapeutic potential.
Stem cell therapy has been heralded as a new way to treat many diseases, ranging from multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and glaucoma to Type 1 diabetes. The anticipated advances have yet to materialize in part because it has proved much more difficult than originally thought to control the types of cells that develop from stem cells.
“The great strength of stem cells is their ability to adapt to the body, replicate and transform themselves into other kinds of cells, whether ...
New research explores the urea cycle’s strong connection to fatty liver disease
2024-08-13
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana University School of Medicine physician scientist is making strides in understanding the molecular origins of fatty liver disease, a leading cause of liver failure in the United States. By identifying the critical role the urea cycle plays in its development, his findings could pave the way for new medications to treat this currently incurable disease.
In a study recently published in Cell Metabolism, Brian DeBosch, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, uncovered ...
Two new studies show how immunotherapies collaborate to boost T cell responses in melanoma
2024-08-13
Two studies published in the latest issue of the journal Cell by University of Pittsburgh researchers uncover how immunotherapies targeting the immune checkpoints PD1 and LAG3 work together to activate immune responses. The findings shed light on why combination therapies targeting both checkpoints can improve outcomes for melanoma patients compared to monotherapies targeting only PD1.
Using data from a human clinical trial and animal models, the researchers investigated responses of tumor-killing CD8+ T cells. During extended battles with cancer, immune checkpoints accumulate on the surface of T cells, acting like brakes on ...
Less sleep and later bedtime in childhood linked to future substance use
2024-08-13
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence. The team published their findings in Annals of Epidemiology.
“The study suggests that there might be some critical ages when sleep can be a target for intervention,” said Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of ...
C-Path’s TRxA announces $250,000 grant for drug development project on antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria
2024-08-13
TUCSON, Ariz. August 13, 2024– Critical Path Institute’s (C-Path) Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA) announced today that Kenneth Keiler, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a research grant for his innovative project titled “Inhibitors of the Gram-negative Cell Envelope Stress Response as Anti-Infectives and Antibiotics.” This funding will support Dr. Keiler’s original approach to addressing the critical issue ...
Crnic Institute clinical trial shows JAK inhibitor improves multiple autoimmune conditions in patients with Down syndrome
2024-08-13
A new study published in eLIFE by researchers from the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reports the initial results of a first-in-kind clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of a JAK inhibitor to decrease the burden of autoimmune conditions in people with Down syndrome. The clinical trial, which is funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, is part of a portfolio of new clinical trials supported by the National Institutes of Health INCLUDE Project.
Drawing upon their 2016 discovery that the interferon ...