Brain Changes in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Caused by Child Abuse: A Systematic Literature Review

Introduction: Child maltreatment is a worldwide problem; not only for its repercussions at the time of the act but also for its possible sequelae, therefore, it is important to know and characterize the changes found in magnetic resonance, to correlate the structural outcome with its functional repercussions. This article seeks to unify and summarize what is already known. Objective: To demonstrate brain changes and their functional repercussions using magnetic resonance imaging in people exposed to chronic child abuse. Materials and methods: We performed a systematic literature review; the search was carried out through PubMed, LILACS, ScienceDirect, and Embase. The inclusion criteria were studies published in English, Spanish and French, between January 2015 and March 2020 that discussed the clinical and encephalic alterations in MRI caused by child abuse. Results: 7 studies with a total of 760 participants were included with a mean age ranging between 6-35 years. In 42% of the articles, alterations were evidenced at the level of the amygdala and hippocampus, defined as volume reduction or decreased connectivity. On the other hand, 28% of the articles included mentioned alterations at the level of the frontal cortex. Conclusions: Child maltreatment produces brain anatomical and functional changes, which may be reversible if early intervention is performed by separating these children from the focus of abuse. It is possible to conclude that structural changes in the brain vary depending on the sub-type of child abuse; nevertheless, it remains controversial which changes correspond to each sub-type of child abuse. There is not enough literature to classify the anatomical variations caused by child abuse according to gender. Literature must be expanded to have enough evidence to emit a concept.