The Impact of Early Life Experiences on Stress Neurobiology and the Development of Anxiety

Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2024 Nov 13. doi: 10.1007/7854_2024_542. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

We examine the association between stress exposure during early development (i.e., the prenatal period through the first two postnatal years) and variation in brain structure and function relevant to anxiety. Evidence of stress-related effects occurring in regions essential for emotional processing and regulation may increase susceptibility to anxiety.

Keywords: Anxiety; Brain Development; Stress.