Childhood abuse leaves scars on the brain and DNA

According to theMonthly Statistical Report of the DGAIAAccording to a report from the Catalan Agency for Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents (DGPPIA) in February 2025, 1.4% of Catalan children and adolescents have experienced or are still experiencing situations of abuse, neglect, or family abandonment. The percentage is likely higher, as this figure is based only on reported cases. Globally, according to UNICEF According to the WHO, 6 out of 10 children under the age of 5 experience some form of physical, emotional, or sexual violence. In total, it is estimated that nearly 1 billion children may have been exposed to this violence in the past year—figures that are absolutely chilling.

When we think about the consequences for a child who has suffered abuse, we often imagine psychological and emotional scars. But a recent study, led by Dr. Shota Nishitani of the Child Mental Development Research Center at Fukui University in Japan, has shown that these wounds can leave much deeper biological imprints at the molecular and brain levels.

These invisible scars open a raw and essential window into how affection, environment, and life experiences shape our biology. According to a publication in Molecular Psychiatry, Childhood maltreatment alters the pattern of epigenetic marks on DNA. These modifications do not change the original genetic sequence, but they act like a chemical switch that regulates gene activity. In other words, our environment can turn certain genes on or off without changing the genome's text.

Epigenetic marks

Researchers analyzed several DNA samples from three different groups: forensic autopsy cases, children shortly after social interventions for abuse, and adolescents who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor their brain structure. Comparing the data revealed four sites where epigenetic marks are altered due to abuse, specifically in the genes ATE1, SERPINB9P1, CHST11, and, most notably, FOXP1. In all four genes, a type of epigenetic mark called methylation is modified, which, generally, when present, blocks the expression of the gene to which it is associated.

Specifically, FOXP1 methylation appears to act as a master switch. Its modification is linked to neuronal alterations in various brain regions involved in emotions, memory, and social cognition, such as the orbitofrontal cortex, the cingulate cortex, and the so-called fusiform gyri. All of these show clear differences in gray matter in individuals with a history of abuse. In general terms, gray matter is essentially responsible for processing and integrating neural information and coordinating responses. In other words, traumatic childhood experiences are not only imprinted on the mind of the person who suffered them, but also on their DNA and brain.

This study is important because it goes beyond what we often consider psychological. Until now, we knew that child abuse and neglect increase the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, emotional problems, cognitive deficits, and executive function deficits later in life. However, this work provides empirical, molecular, and brain-based evidence that directly links maltreatment with epigenetic and neuroanatomical changes. This is a significant qualitative leap. It is no longer just a correlation, but a measurable biological trace of cause and effect.

All of this has allowed these researchers to design a "methylation risk index" which, based on these four genes, makes it possible to identify individuals with a history marked by abuse. This type of tool opens the door to the early detection of those who have suffered trauma and, ideally, to offer them therapeutic and preventative support before irreversible consequences appear. According to another recent study, modifications in DNA methylation related to childhood adversity can explain up to 73% of the connection between experiencing physical, psychological, or emotional abuse during childhood and the manifestation of depressive symptoms later in adolescence.

However, it's not all that simple, because some of these epigenetic marks have also been shown to act as protective factors, as they are associated with greater resilience. In any case, these findings have profound implications in many areas: mental health, social policy, education, child protection, rehabilitation, and prevention. If abuse leaves permanent marks on the brain and genome, this makes early detection and immediate intervention even more urgent. It's not just a matter of repairing the psychological trauma, but of reversing, as far as possible, a structural biological alteration.