Long term neurobiological impact of early deprivation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Long term neurobiological impact of early deprivation: imaging young adult brain structure and function in the English and Romanian Adoptees study
IRAS ID
144761
Contact name
Edmund Sonuga-Barke
Contact email
Research summary
Animal research shows that early life adversity has long-term consequences for brain development that increases risk of poor outcome in adulthood. Understanding these processes can guide advances in the care of individuals with difficult early life experiences, but real progress depends on parallel research on early adversity in humans. A unique opportunity to do exactly this comes from the large-scale adoption to the UK of children who spent their early years in the Romanian orphanages of the 1980s. These adoptions have created a powerful and ethical natural experiment that allows the effect of exposure to early adversity to be isolated, and thus to examine its impact on brain development.
The proposed research is a follow up study from our English & Romanian Adoptees Study (ERA), the largest developmental study of this cohort, who have now reached adulthood. From our original studies we have shown that in some individuals early global deprivation is associated with marked residual deprivation-linked difficulties, including psychological, social and emotional problems. Our follow up study will use brain imaging to gain a deeper understanding of the neurobiological processes underlying these difficulties. We are already collecting clinical and biological data relevant to this goal, and an imaging pilot study has been conducted to show feasibility and provide proof of method.
This proposed study aims to examine the long term impact of severe early deprivation on adult brain development. We will compare Romanian adoptees with young adults who are (i) healthy; or who have (ii) Autism Spectrum disorder or; (iii) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder. The results of our study will help us to identify brain areas that are associated with early deprivation, and can, further, address fundamental questions about brain plasticity, sensitive periods, the heterogeneity and specificity of deprivation effects, and the mechanisms of adult psychopathology.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0477
Date of REC Opinion
20 May 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion