How do early separation experiences impact on structural and functional brain development in children?

Aims: Early separation experiences can disrupt the child’s attachment process and interfere with the psychosocial development of an infant. The current study therefore aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms by which early separation experiences from the primary caregiver influences the maturation of brain circuits associated with social-emotional development. Methods: 25 Children that grew up with their biological parents and 25 children with an early parental separation experience (between 6th month and 3rd year of life) aged 8–12 underwent a social-exclusion paradigm (CyberBall) in an MRI scanner to invest…