# Impact of Trauma Exposure on Critical Periods in Brain Development and Fear Processing in Children

> **NIH NIH R01** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $659,917

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Childhood trauma exposure constitutes a major risk factor for subsequent psychopathology,
including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, personality disorders,
and schizophrenia. Violence exposure in low-income, urban populations can occur early in life,
increasing risk for trauma exposure in children living in inner-city areas. While it is shown that
early adverse experiences affect brain activation and connectivity as well as fear physiology
during development in children, the mechanisms of these effects on the brain are not clearly
understood. Very few studies have captured the effects of ongoing trauma during development,
as most are based on retrospective data. The proposed longitudinal study is well-positioned to
address this gap in knowledge given our recruitment from a high trauma risk population. The
proposed research will combine neuroimaging and fear physiology methods to examine critical
periods for trauma-related correlates of brain development. Recruitment of male and female
children will allow for exploratory analyses of sex differences during development.
Retrospective research on trauma exposure and neural development suggest that ages 9
through 11 represent particularly sensitive periods for fear-relevant neurobiology. In order to
target this critical period, 9-year-old children will be recruited from the Grady Trauma Project in
inner-city Atlanta, composed primarily of low-income, African American families and followed
prospectively for two years. Trauma exposure and startle will be assessed every six months
between ages 9 and 11, in order to assess the critical period for trauma exposure. Brain
structure and function will be assessed every year, at years 9, 10, and 11. In our previous
studies, we have found that the degree of trauma exposure significantly increases between 9
and 11 years of age. The unique prospective longitudinal design will allow for analysis of the
effects of both pre-existing trauma and new trauma exposure on the neurobiological
phenotypes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10024074
- **Project number:** 5R01MH111682-05
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Tanja Jovanovic
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $659,917
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10024074

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10024074, Impact of Trauma Exposure on Critical Periods in Brain Development and Fear Processing in Children (5R01MH111682-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10024074. Licensed CC0.

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