Early-life adversity and adolescent depression: mechanisms involving the ventral striatum

Early-life adversity is a well-established risk factor for the development of depression later in life. Here we discuss the relationship between early-life adversity and depression, focusing specifically on effects of early-life caregiver deprivation on alterations in the neural and behavioral substrates of reward-processing. We also examine vulnerability to depression within the context of sensitive periods of neural development and the timing of adverse exposure. We further review the development of the ventral striatum, a limbic structure implicated in reward processing, and its role in depressive outcomes following early-life adversity. Finally, we suggest a potential neurobiological mechanism linking early-life adversity and altered ventral striatal development. Together these findings may help provide further insight into the role of reward circuitry dysfunction in psychopathological outcomes in both clinical and developmental populations.

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Pathways between early‐life adversity and adolescent self‐harm: the mediating role of inflammation in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1111/jcpp.13100 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 60 (10) ◽

pp. 1094-1103 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Abigail Emma Russell ◽

Jon Heron ◽

David Gunnell ◽

Tamsin Ford ◽

Gibran Hemani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Early Life ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Parents And Children ◽

Self Harm ◽

Avon Longitudinal Study

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Thyroid Functioning and Fatigue in Women With Functional Somatic Syndromes – Role of Early Life Adversity

Frontiers in Physiology ◽

10.3389/fphys.2018.00564 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Susanne Fischer ◽

Charlotte Markert ◽

Jana Strahler ◽

Johanna M. Doerr ◽

Nadine Skoluda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Functional Somatic Syndromes ◽

Early Life Adversity

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Effects of early-life adversity on immune function are mediated by prenatal environment: Role of prenatal alcohol exposure

Brain Behavior and Immunity ◽

10.1016/j.bbi.2017.07.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 66 ◽

pp. 210-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Charlis Raineki ◽

Tamara S. Bodnar ◽

Parker J. Holman ◽

Samantha L. Baglot ◽

Ni Lan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Function ◽

Early Life ◽

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽

Alcohol Exposure ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Prenatal Environment ◽

Prenatal Alcohol

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The role of anxiety and depression in the association between early life adversity and metabolism

Psychoneuroendocrinology ◽

10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104964 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 119 ◽

pp. 104964

Author(s):

Eva Unternaehrer ◽

Maria Meier ◽

Ulrike Bentele ◽

Ira Wendland ◽

Annika Benz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Life ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Early Life Adversity

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Meta-analysis of reward processing in major depressive disorder reveals distinct abnormalities within the reward circuit

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-019-0644-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Tommy H. Ng ◽

Lauren B. Alloy ◽

David V. Smith

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Ventral Striatum ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Reward Circuitry ◽

The Common ◽

Empirical Foundation ◽

Reward Circuit

Abstract Many neuroimaging studies have investigated reward processing dysfunction in major depressive disorder. These studies have led to the common idea that major depressive disorder is associated with blunted responses within the reward circuit, particularly in the ventral striatum. Yet, the link between major depressive disorder and reward-related responses in other regions remains inconclusive, thus limiting our understanding of the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder. To address this issue, we performed a coordinate-based meta-analysis of 41 whole-brain neuroimaging studies encompassing reward-related responses from a total of 794 patients with major depressive disorder and 803 healthy controls. Our findings argue against the common idea that major depressive disorder is primarily linked to deficits within the reward system. Instead, our results demonstrate that major depressive disorder is associated with opposing abnormalities in the reward circuit: hypo-responses in the ventral striatum and hyper-responses in the orbitofrontal cortex. The current findings suggest that dysregulated corticostriatal connectivity may underlie reward-processing abnormalities in major depressive disorder, providing an empirical foundation for a more refined understanding of abnormalities in the reward circuitry in major depressive disorder.

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Addiction, inequality and recovery

Social Determinantsof Health ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447336846.003.0006 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Svanberg

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Health Inequalities ◽

Early Life ◽

Early Life Adversity ◽

Health Equality ◽

Societal Inequality ◽

Rich Countries ◽

The Impact

This chapter examines the impact of health inequalities on addiction and how the recommendations of the Marmot Review could influence recovery from addiction. The Marmot Review was tasked with devising strategies to reduce health inequalities in England, and rightly recognised that health equality requires a debate about what kind of society we want to live in. When considering societies as a whole, there is a clearer relationship between poor health outcomes and societal inequality; rich countries with a steep social gradient do worse than poorer, but more equal, countries. The chapter first provides an overview of factors that cause substance use and addiction before discussing the role of early life adversity in addiction and the link between inequality and addiction. More specifically, it explains how unequal societies lead to addiction and goes on to consider how society can support recovery from addiction.

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