Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Neglected children end up with 'smaller brains'

Neglected children end up with 'smaller brains'

An early life full of neglect, deprivation and adversity leads to people growing up with smaller brains, a study suggests.
The researchers at King's College London were following adopted children who spent time in "hellhole" Romanian orphanages.

They grew up with brains 8.6% smaller than other adoptees.

The researchers said it was the "most compelling" evidence of the impact on the adult brain.

The appalling care at the orphanages came to light after the fall of Romania's communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989.

"I remember TV pictures of those institutions, they were shocking," Prof Edmund Sonuga-Barke, who now leads the study following those children, told the BBC.

He described the institutions as "hellholes" where children were "chained into their cots, rocking, filthy and emaciated".

The children were physically and psychologically deprived with little social contact, no toys and often ravaged by disease.

The children studied had spent between two weeks and nearly four years in such institutions.

Previous studies on children who were later adopted by loving families in the UK showed they were still experiencing mental health problems in adulthood.

Higher levels of traits including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a lack of fear of strangers (disinhibited social engagement disorder) have all been documented.

The latest study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to scan the brains for answers.

There were 67 Romanian adoptees in the study and their brains were compared to 21 adoptees who did not suffer early life deprivation.

"What we found is really quite striking," Prof Sonuga-Barke told the BBC.

First the total brain volume - the size of the brain - was 8.6% smaller in the Romanian adoptees on average.

And the longer they spent in the Romanian orphanages, the greater the reduction in brain size.

However, the impact on the brain was not uniform.

Prof Mitul Mehta, one of the researchers, said: "We found structural differences between the two groups in three regions of the brain.

"These regions are linked to functions such as organisation, motivation, integration of information and memory."

The researchers say these findings could help explain lower IQ and higher rates of ADHD in these adults.

What the study cannot explain is what exactly about early life neglect and deprivation has this effect on the brain.

It means it is hard to work out the effect of other early life traumas such as abuse or being a refugee.

However, the study is clear that the impact on the developing brain goes far beyond just poor nutrition.

Prof Sonuga-Barke said: "This study is important because it highlights for the first time, in a compelling way, the power of the early environment and early adversity to shape brain development.

"It drives impairments over this long period of time - over 20 years - even when children have received top-notch care in loving adoptive families."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
×