Introduction
The human brain contains a pathway or reward circuit contained within the limbic system. The pathway couples together several parts of the brain that are responsible for governing and managing a person’s ability to perceive pleasure. Birnie et al. (2020) suggest in the article that early life trauma affects the development of pathways within the brain reward circuitry. The main problem being discussed is how calamities that a person experiences in childhood can affect their behavior later in life. It also tries to explore the implications of such adversity on the function of the reward circuitry of the brain.
Main Body
The early stages of brain development, when the reward circuitry is going through momentous advancement, evolution, and pliancy, is a phrase that leaves it quite vulnerable to adversity. Birnie et al. (2020) discuss the development of reward circuitry and the role of trauma in ruining the normal evolution of the pathway and thus resulting in a high risk of developing mental illness. However, the researchers also found that the results of the study could not be fully understood and that it was not possible to study the phenomenon fully in humans.
Although the study of the effects of trauma in humans was limited, the development of models has provided scientists with the power to comprehend the complicated mechanisms of brain functions using methods previously not available. Previously, maternal separation has been severally applied to study the effects of trauma on the reward circuitry, either short or prolonged separation of the subject from their parents (Birnie et al., 2020).
The researchers further found that the synergy in early life adversity was concluded to be a marker for stress-related disorders that contained post-traumatic stress disorder (Birnie et al., 2020). Through their findings, it is clear to see the relationship between early life trauma and the development of mental-related illnesses in the future.
Getting positive returns or emotional happiness via various childhood behaviors contains the biological and observable capacity to encourage stimulation. A large body of studies exists dedicated to finding the connections in the operation and function of the reward pathways, but there is still a lot unknown about the development of the system.
Birnie et al. (2020) further state that there is a strong partnership relating to adversity in early life in infancy and the ensuing development of mental sickness that is linked to the dysfunction of reward circuitry. Thus, it is clear that the traumas that people experience in childhood can adversely affect the mental health of children when they grow up.
Further discussion is warranted to describe or further study the effects of positive rewards in childhood on mental health in the future. There are several questions that remain unanswered by the study and should be further investigated; these include:
- Studies look into whether positive encounters in early childhood can lead to the development of adults who are productive and beneficial to society.
- How do positive occurrences affect the development of the reward circuitry, and how does that ultimately affect the development of adults in the future?
- Furthermore, how can a study be carried out, whether experimental or not, to substantiate the question or results thereof?
Conclusion
These are a few talking points that future researchers should consider when tackling the subject at hand. A further interesting point to note is how the experimental paradigms that identify these adverse effects are carried out and what can be done to actualize them in the field to conclude the study with more concrete information or results.
Reference
Birnie, M. T., Kooiker, C. L., Short, A. K., Bolton, J. L., Chen, Y., & Baram, T. Z. (2020). Plasticity of the reward circuitry after early-life adversity: Mechanisms and significance. Biological Psychiatry, 87(10), 875–884. Web.