Mo. child abuse case, Child abuse can cause brain changes

Homicide claim could hinder Mo. incest, rape case - Bill Draper 3/5/10 KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bizarre allegations of rape, incest and bestiality in western Missouri led to the arrests of six family members last fall and unleashed public scorn over the unthinkable acts they are accused of committing two decades ago. But one of the more sensational claims — that one of the suspects forced their young victims to help kill a man — is creating an uphill climb for prosecutors that could sink the rest of their case, legal experts say. Investigators say the sexual abuse allegations have been corroborated by six siblings, at least three of whom say they were raped and molested over a 10-year period beginning in the mid-1980s on a farm east of Kansas City.
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Child abuse can cause brain changes 2/26/10 DUBLIN, Ireland, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Childhood abuse or emotional neglect can result in structural brain changes, say researchers at Ireland's Trinity College Dublin. Thomas Frodl at the School of Medicine and Trinity Institute for Neuroscience said the finding was based on a study of 24 patients 18-65, who were being treated for major depression. The researchers used high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain and childhood stress assessments. Special analysis programs were used to measure brain regions and the results were compared with 27 healthy control subjects matched for age and gender. "These structural alterations of the brain are associated with a higher vulnerability to depression and a more chronic course of the depression might be associated with further structural changes," Frodl said....The findings are published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2010/02/26/Child-abuse-can-cause-brain-changes/UPI-24541267212440/