The impact of cumulative obstetric complications and childhood trauma on brain volume in young people with psychotic experiences

Psychotic experiences (PEs) occur in 5–10% of the general population and are associated with exposure to childhood trauma and obstetric complications. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these associations are unclear. Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we studied 138 young people aged 20 with PEs ( n = 49 suspected, n = 53 definite, n = 36 psychotic disorder) and 275 controls. Voxel-based morphometry assessed whether MRI measures of grey matter volume were associated with (i) PEs, (ii) cumulative childhood psychological trauma (weighted summary score of 6 trauma types), (iii) cumulative pre/peri-natal risk factors for psychosis (weighted summary score of 16 risk factors), and (iv) the interaction between PEs and cumulative trauma or pre/peri-natal risk. PEs were associated with smaller left posterior cingulate ( p FWE