It has long been recognized that there are “critical periods” during mammalian development
when exposure to specific environmental stimuli are required in order to elicit the normal …

The number of children under 18 years of age has increased worldwide over the past
decade. This growth spurt is due, in part, to remarkable progress in child survival. Alas …

For the past quarter century, scientists at the Center for Family Research at the University of
Georgia have conducted research designed to promote understanding of normative …

Adversity in early childhood exerts an enduring impact on mental and physical health,
academic achievement, lifetime productivity, and the probability of interfacing with the …

Hypotheses concerning the biologic embedding of early adversity via developmental
neuroplasticity mechanisms have been proposed on the basis of experimental studies in …

Background Research has suggested that 'risky'family processes have unforeseen negative
consequences for health later in life. The purpose of this study was to further understanding …

Longitudinal studies in humans demonstrate the association between prenatal and
postnatal experiences of adversity and long-term changes in neurodevelopment. These …

Although the idea that early life conditions shape mortality is not new, there has been a
resurgence of studies on the topic in the last two decades. In our review of this work, we …

Animal and human studies have shown that both early-life traumatic events and ongoing
stress episodes affect neurodevelopment, however, it remains unclear whether and how …

Importance Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poor mental
and physical health outcomes. However, the mechanism of this effect, critical to enhancing …