| The tragic consequences of institutionalization illustrate the powerful role that early experiences play in shaping the developing child. Although the adverse effects of institutional rearing on behavioral development are well documented, few studies have examined the effects of institutionalization on the neural circuitry that subserves developing perceptual, cognitive, and socioemotional systems. Therefore, the current study examined the effects of institutionalization on neurophysiology by comparing the neural correlates of facial expression processing in institutionalized and family-reared children, and examined the efficacy of foster care in ameliorating the negative effects of early institutionalization on neurobiological development. Institutionalized and family-reared children, ranging in age from 5- to 31-months, were recruited in Bucharest, Romania to participate in the current study. At four assessments (baseline, 18, 30, and 42 months of age), event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while children viewed pictures of female faces expressing four emotions (angry, happy, fearful, and sad). Following the baseline assessment, institutionalized children were randomly assigned to either remain in the institution or be placed in foster care. Five main findings emerged from the current study. First, institutionalized children displayed general cortical hypoarousal across all four assessments, in that they showed significantly smaller amplitudes and longer latencies for ERP components located over occipital regions compared to never-institutionalized children. Second, by 42 months of age, children placed in foster care showed partial recovery, in that their ERP amplitudes and latencies were intermediate between the institutionalized and never-institutionalized children. Third, processing of facial emotion, at least insofar as can be inferred from ERPs, was essentially intact in institutionalized children. Specifically, children in all groups differentiated between happy and fearful faces for ERP components located over frontocentral leads. Fourth, the age at which children were placed into foster care was unrelated to their ERP outcomes at 42 months of age. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed few significant correlations between measures of early physical growth, general cognitive ability, and the amplitudes and latencies of ERP components at 42 months of age. The results of this study have important implications for our understanding of the role that experience plays in shaping the developing brain. |
