Family protective service involvement and reduced infant cortical grey matter volume
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11275956 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Francesca Penner (0000-0002-8971-790X, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience Baylor University Waco Texas USA, corresponding author), Banu Ahtam (0000-0003-2036-092X, Dept. of Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA), Yangming Ou (0000-0002-7726-6208, Dept. of Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA), P Ellen Grant (0000-0003-1005-4013, Dept. of Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA), Karlen Lyons‐Ruth (0000-0001-9799-976X, Dept. of Psychiatry Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School Cambridge Massachusetts USA) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | e70077-e70077 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Infant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/imhj.70077 |
| PMID | 41804289 |
| OpenAlex | W7134817664 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
Among older children, neglect is linked to reduced cortical grey matter volume, whereas abuse is linked to reduced right amygdala volume. Less is known about whether similar effects of adversity are evident in infancy, a period of particularly rapid brain growth. This study evaluated whether family involvement with child protective services (CPS) was linked to differences in infant brain volumes (whole brain grey matter, cortical grey matter, right and left insular cortex, and right and left amygdala). Participants were recruited in the northeastern United States. Mothers ( N = 55) reported on any family involvement with CPS as a parent. Infants completed a brain MRI between 4 and 25 months of age ( M age = 11.56 months). Family CPS involvement was associated with lower infant whole brain grey matter volume, cortical grey matter volume, and left insular cortex volume. No relations to amygdala volumes were observed. Caregiving adversity may affect cortical grey matter development during infancy, with family CPS involvement as an accessible index identifying infants at risk
Amygdala · Brain mapping · Brain size · Grey matter · Insular cortex · Neglect · Child Abuse and Trauma · Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Elder Abuse and Neglect
| Highly cited | No |
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