Being shouted at by parents can alter child’s brain, experts tell UK MPs | Children’s health | The Guardian

Scans of children’s brains McCrory has undertaken using functional magnetic resonance imaging have shown that “sustained exposure to abuse, including verbal abuse, leads to significant biological alterations in the brain’s structure and function”, he said.

It can alter both the “threats” and “rewards” circuits in a child’s brain, which play a key role in helping them to navigate the world and also in building and maintaining relationships.

“Our imaging studies show how abuse, including verbal abuse, can alter a child’s brain so that the world is perceived as a more dangerous place,” McCrory said.

Children subjected to verbal abuse can start to misinterpret neutral jokes, glances or facial expressions as threatening, and it can lead to them withdrawing from social contact or lashing out to protect themselves, he added.

— Read on www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/28/being-shouted-at-by-parents-can-alter-childs-brain-experts-tell-uk-mps