Critical fear: Developmental trajectories of traumatic life experiences during specific sensitive periods
Greta Visintin, Giovanni Morelli, Mohit Rastogi, Elisa Gelli, Angelo Serani, Alexia Stuefer, Martina Bartolucci, Ilaria Colombi, Matteo Falappa, Andrea Petretto, Alessandro Gozzi, Valter Tucci, Laura Cancedda · FENS Forum 2024
Life experiences wield particular influence over brain development during restricted time windows (i.e., critical periods), when the brain is more responsive to environmental stimuli. Positive experiences during critical periods lead to healthy brain wiring and development of proper behavioral skills. Conversely, diverse traumatic life experiences (e.g., physical/sexual abuse, prolonged hospitalization, warfare) can damage the brain structure and connectivity, increasing the risk for neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperac
ePoster · Neuroscience