Source: https://www.mainestrongbalancecenter.com/single-post/2018/10/11/exercise-and-memory-function
Abuse in any form is of course harmful. While people most of the time manage to identify it, dealing with abuse is difficult. Abuse has far-reaching implications on the human mind and body.
It is just that the signs of physical abuse are exposed on the body. The signs of mental and emotional abuse are inflicted deep on the mind. And human brain transforms accordingly in surprising ways.
A lot of neurologists and scientists have been researching on the changes in the brain's structure and function. But, is it really necessary to know? What difference does it make? Does it really matter to be aware of this? Why a layman should care to delve in the depths of this?
As true these questions sound, the answer is actually Yes. A large population still lives in denial about the permanent damage that brain gets from abuse. A layman awareness into a few of the examples would be worthwhile for the mental health promoting community. As and when these examples and facts travel across fraternities, more people will pay heed to abuse and the damage it causes.
Source: https://www.cell.com/trends/molecular-medicine/fulltext/S1471-4914(20)30100-3
i. Impaired mental and emotional abilities: This one might sound pretty obvious though. Abuse makes the mental and emotional abilities imapired translating into physical symptoms. These appear after a prolonged or severe abuse.
Eg. Heart Problems, Fibromyalgia - Chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue.
Fibromyalgia is a result of damage to every single neural connection caused by chroinic and painful emotional as well as psychological attacks.
ii. Plasticity: The human brain has an ability to change in response to repeated situation caused as an influence of the environment. It sort of forms a pathway to react to a certain repeatingly occuring situation.
The lower parts of the brain are less flexible than the cortex. The cortex is most flexible. Its plasticity however decreases along with age. Our brains 'wire' themselves to form certain 'pathways' required to respond to situations.
For example, a scolding to a child for a certain situation makes the brain change in response, however, a repeated occurance of the same situation makes it accustomed. This happens as the brain gradually forms a pathway to react to the scolding.
iii. Sensitive Periods: These are the windows of time in the developmental process when certain parts of the brain may be most susceptible to particular experiences. Both children and adults may make up for missing experiences later in life, but this may be difficult.
For example; If a young child has been deprived of certain stimulation, this leads to pruning of their synapses in the brain. This is relevant to that of loss of neuronal pathways.
iv. Reduced Hippocampus: Research says that maltreated adults have a reduced volume in the hippocampus. Hippocampus is central to learning and memory. This shrinkage is called 'atrophy' and is associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Dementia.
Source: https://www.altnews.in/depression-the-myths-falseness-of-sadhgurus-quotes/
A damage to hippocampus hinders a person's social behaviour. This is because a reduced hippocampus prevents one from accurately interpreting and responding to information. It is also reported that it causes significant alteration of the ability to use language effectively.
v. Increased reactivity of Amygdala: Amygdala is known as the hub of our brain's fear-processing circuit. An abused brain's amygdala however shows impulsivity and far-heightened response to a situation of threat. The reward system becomes much blunt and reduced.
Source: https://slidetodoc.com/schizophrenia-onset-can-be-slow-or-sudden-typically/
vi. Sensory-System Specific Changes: Our brain has an sensory system that acts as an initial filter to the outside world. This filter is modified in a selective way as per experiences encountered. Abuse seems to de-sensitize this filter. Researchers believe that this is presumably attenuate to a traumatizing environment.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK552150/figure/Ch14-f0002/?report=objectonly
To make this clearer, abuse affects the basic sensory pathway through which it was experienced. For example, if a child sees domestic violence everyday at home, shows a significant change in their brain's grey matter. This change is significant in the 'Visual Cortex' and a decreased integrity in the primary fiber tract- the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. The latter connects the visual cortex with limbic system of the brain, which determines memory and emotional response to visual stimuli.
In another example, people exposed to high levels of verbal abuse have reduced grey matter volume in their 'left auditory cortex'. Abnormalities are also noted in an important language-processing pathway- the left arcurate fasciculus.
There are many other significant changes observed by researchers in the brain's structure and functioning. These are reduced grey matter, alterations in corpus callosum, thinning of regions of brain involved in self-awareness and processing emotions, to name a few. As complicated these changes, sound, the more complicated it is in the biochemistry of the brain.
While it is not necessary and easy enough to understand these changes accurately, it is of utmost important to understand a little in depth their gravity. Abuse can permanently destroy brains which will never will visible on the outside. People suffering and experiencing abuse should speak up and awareness will help themselves and others around them to speak up profoundly as well.