Open Access

Voß Sara

• The experience of abuse in the period of childhood and youth is a key stressor that has con-sequences on the developing brain and is associated with the genesis of mental disorders. Childhood abuse and depression often cooccur together and have both been associated with cortical thickness resulting in a difficulty to detangle the influence of each factor. In prior studies, childhood abuse and depression were inconsistently related to whole-brain cortical thickness. Thus, this thesis aims to investigate the link between childhood abuse, depres-sive symptoms, and alterations of the cortex. Therefore, this study analyses 1,551 individuals of the general population. A significant in-teraction effect of childhood abuse and depressive symptoms is observed for whole-brain cortical thickness. Yet, the results indicate no influence of childhood abuse or depression alone. A thinner cortex was associated with more severe depressive symptoms in the abused, but not in the non-abused group. In non-depressed participants, an increased whole-brain cortex was found in the abused, compared to the non-abused group. Similar interaction effects were observed in 12 out of 34 cortical regions. The results suggest, in line with prior findings, that depressed individuals with a history of childhood abuse are a specific ecophenotype which is also reflected in specific brain altera-tions. Cortical regions that are distinct associated with the interaction of depressive symp-toms and childhood abuse are involved in various fields such as sensory processing, self-conception, and memory. Greater cortical thickness in subjects with childhood abuse and without depressive symptoms might act compensatory and thus reflect resilience against depressive symptoms. Practical implications concern the treatment and diagnostic system as well as the im-portance of early prevention programs. An individualised treatment is necessary as various studies found a less favourable outcome in depressive patients with a history of maltreat-ment. Therefore, it seems urgent to assess experiences of childhood abuse at the beginning of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment. In addition, early prevention programs are in need to support vulnerable family systems and thereby strengthening the economic, health and social system.