Childhood stress has detrimental impact on brain

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, childhood stress can have a lasting impact on brain development later in life. The participants included 128 children who had experienced some form of physical abuse, neglect, or came from a low socioeconomic background.  Researchers took images of these children’s brains and then compared them with children who came from middle class backgrounds, who did not experience abuse.  The results indicate that both the hippocampus and amygdala, areas of the brain involved in processing emotion and stress, were significantly smaller in children who experienced neglect or came from poverty. More information can be found at: 

http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/06/29/chronic-childhood-stress-leaves-lasting-impact-on-brain/71836.html