An Overview of Psychological and Neurobiological Mechanisms by which Early Negative Experiences Increase Risk of Mood Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Early life experiences are associated with severe and long-lasting effects on behavioural and emotional functioning, which in turn are thought to increase the risk for unipolar depression and other disorders of affect regulation. The neurobiological and psychological mechanisms through which adverse early life experiences confer risk are poorly understood. METHOD: Alterations in brain structure and function in limbic and prefrontal …