A long-term consequence of childhood sexual abuse can be the development of sexual dysfunction in adulthood, although the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Using MRI, the authors found that individuals who had suffered childhood sexual abuse display cortical thinning in regions of the somatosensory cortex that represent the genitals. Emotional abuse correlated with thinning of cortical areas involved in self-awareness and evaluation. Thus, experience-dependent developmental neuroplasticity as a result of aversive childhood events may alter cortical structure in a regionally specific manner.
References
Heim, C. M. et al. Decreased cortical representation of genital somatosensory field after childhood sexual abuse. Am. J. Psychiatry 170, 616–623 (2013)
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Whalley, K. Childhood abuse alters cortical fields. Nat Rev Neurosci 14, 459 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3539
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3539