Various research studies have suggested that early childhood social interaction is crucial for normal brain development into adulthood. Researchers at King's College London decided to study the neurological effects of social deprivation during childhood by analyzing the brain sizes of young adults who were adopted from Romanian orphanages as children. Their findings once again confirmed the importance of proper socialization in infancy and pointed to negative mental outcomes for children when their social health is ignored.
After the 1989 fall of Ceausescu, then Romanian dictator, the world got a glimpse into the life of Romanian orphans, children who experienced little social interaction in unstimulating, whitewashed rooms. Even with adoption as a possibility, one study reported that 9.2% of adoptees went on to experience poor social behavior outcomes such as "quasi-autism." These children had poor relationships with peers, but actively interacted with adults unfamiliar to them. The study released from King's College London illustrated a different, but very relevant outcome of social deprivation in Romanian orphanages: reduced brain size.
Getty Images Credit: Image Source; A model human brain of average size
The researchers examined MRIs from 67 young adults who were exposed to social deprivation in Romanian orphanages before being adopted by families in the United Kingdom. Compared to 21 nondeprived adoptees, the deprived group showed an 8.6% reduction in total brain volume. Total brain volume reduction in these young adults was negatively correlated with the duration of their social deprivation and seemed to mediate lower IQ scores and higher incidences of hyperactivity disorders. Using whole brain analyses, researchers further showed that size changes occurred in specific parts of the brain, suggesting targeted impacts of caregiver neglect. Despite receiving nurturing care after adoption, the adoptees' brains were characterized as being affected by early childhood social deprivation.