Scientists have found that childhood trauma alters the functioning of the hippocampus, robbing adults of the ability to experience pleasure, reports infohub.kz.
Traumatic events experienced in childhood can lead to a loss of motivation and an inability to enjoy life—a condition known as anhedonia. New research by specialists at Temple University, led by Kathleen O'Brien and Will Murti from the University of Oregon, sheds light on the mechanisms behind this pathology. The findings were published in the scientific journal "JNeurosci".
In the study, researchers surveyed a large group of participants, assessing the level of early-life trauma and their capacity to experience positive emotions. Then, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they examined the interaction between the hippocampus and brain regions responsible for motivation. It turned out that participants with childhood trauma and disrupted hippocampal circuits were significantly more likely to experience anhedonia. This is one of the first studies linking the hippocampus to apathetic behavior in humans.