Effects of Early Psychological Trauma on Limbic System Structure and Function

Abstract

This paper aims to review the subtypes of childhood trauma and its effects on brain structures and function, especially the hippocampus and amygdala within the limbic system, in the context of clinical psychology. For this purpose, original articles published between 1996 and 2024 were systematically searched in major databases such as PubMed, PsycArticles, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using keywords such as early childhood trauma, psychological trauma, limbic system, hippocampus, amygdala, and neuroimaging. The articles were initially screened based on their titles, and those meeting the search criteria, including study population, investigated brain regions, and types of traumas, were further assessed for relevance. Ultimately, 136 articles were selected and discussed in this review. Trauma experiences in early life can have a significantly negative influence on a person's psychological health by causing neurodevelopmental impairments, especially in the limbic system. While it is understood that trauma influences how individuals think, behave, and feel, the results of neuroimaging studies reveal variations in the amygdala and hippocampus based on different trauma subtypes. These changes merit deeper investigation in future research to fully understand the reasons behind the diverse findings in existing literature.