Introduction: Child maltreatment is a global problem, not only for its repercussions at the time of the act but also for its possible sequelae; therefore, it is crucial to characterize the changes found in magnetic resonance, to correlate the structural outcome with its functional repercussions.
Objective: To demonstrate brain changes and their functional repercussions using magnetic resonance imaging in people exposed to chronic child abuse. This article seeks to unify and summarize what is already known.
Materials and methods: We performed a systematic literature review; the search was carried out through PubMed, LILACS, ScienceDirect, and Embase. The inclusion criteria were studies published in English, Spanish and French, between January 2015 and March 2020 that discussed the clinical and encephalic alterations in MRI caused by child abuse.
Results: 7 studies with 760 participants were included, mean age ranging between 6-35 years. In 42% of the article's alterations were evidenced at the amygdala and hippocampus, defined as volume reduction or decreased connectivity. On the other hand, 28% of the articles included alterations in the frontal cortex.
Conclusions: Child maltreatment produces brain anatomical and functional changes, which may be reversible if early intervention is performed by separating these children from the focus of abuse. It is possible to conclude that structural changes in the brain vary depending on the sub-type of abuse; nevertheless, it remains controversial which changes correspond to each child maltreatment subtype. There is not enough literature to classify the anatomical variations caused by child abuse according to gender, for which the literature must be expanded to emit a concept.
