Neural Correlates of Disgust in Childhood Maltreatment and Peer Victimization
Author Information
Author(s): Lim Lena, Rubia Katya, Lukito Steve
Primary Institution: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore; and Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
Hypothesis
Both the childhood maltreatment and peer victimization groups would show greater activation than controls during negative emotion processing, particularly in the limbic regions, and that the atypical reactivity would be associated with greater self-harm.
Conclusion
Childhood maltreatment and peer victimization are linked to common underactivation of brain regions involved in emotion processing during disgust, which may increase the risk of affective disorders.
Supporting Evidence
- Both childhood maltreatment and peer victimization groups had lower activation in the right amygdala and bilateral posterior insula than controls.
- Reduced left insular activation was related to increased self-harm in maltreated youths.
- Both groups exhibited underactivation in limbic-thalamic-striatal regions associated with emotional problems.
Takeaway
Kids who are bullied or mistreated by adults have trouble processing feelings of disgust, which might make them more likely to hurt themselves.
Methodology
Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 114 youths during an emotion discrimination task, comparing those with childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, and controls.
Potential Biases
Potential recall biases in self-reported data.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional, relies on retrospective self-report data, and may not be generalizable to those with childhood sexual abuse.
Participant Demographics
Participants were right-handed youths aged 17–21 years, with no current or past psychiatric disorders.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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