AsianScientist (Sep. 24, 2025) – Affecting three out of four children in substantiated abuse cases worldwide, child neglect occurs when caregivers fail to provide a child with basic necessities such as food, shelter, supervision, or protection. While less visible than physical abuse, neglect can leave deep and lasting imprints on a child’s development, many of which have only recently begun to be scientifically understood.
Child neglect has been linked to impaired social and emotional skills, and long-term adverse outcomes, including increased vulnerability to mental illness, heightened suicide risk, and other physical ailments.
A major challenge with neglect is that its effects often fly under the radar. Unlike physical abuse, which may leave visible marks, many neglected children don’t show obvious behavioral problems right away, making it difficult for teachers, doctors, and social workers to identify who needs help.
Moreover, most brain research has focused on more overt forms of maltreatment, leaving a crucial question unanswered: how does neglect affect a developing child’s brain?
Looking inside the neglected brain
A research team at the Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Japan, led by Professor Akemi Tomoda, sought to close this gap. Their study, published in Scientific Reports, used Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), a highly sensitive brain imaging technique, to examine how neglect alters white matter, the brain’s communication infrastructure.
For the study, the researchers compared the white matter microstructure of neglected children without other types of maltreatment to that of typically developing children.
“Our findings demonstrate that even in the absence of physical or emotional abuse, neglect alone can have a profound impact on brain development,” said Professor Tomoda.
The study involved 21 neglected children and 106 typically developing children. Through comprehensive whole-brain analysis, the researchers found that neglected children had significant abnormalities in three critical brain regions:
- the right corticospinal tract, which controls voluntary movement and motor skills
- the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, which plays a key role in attention, language, and executive functions
- the left cingulum, which connects emotional and cognitive brain systems and is crucial for emotional regulation
The changes observed in these pathways were directly linked to problems related to conducting oneself and behavioral difficulties.
Making way for new policies and therapies
The study’s findings are significant because they provide objective, brain-based markers of the impact that neglect can cause, paving a way to detect its effects even before serious behavioral or developmental problems become apparent. This could help social workers, educators, and healthcare providers intervene earlier and more effectively.
These findings could also help reshape child protection policies and inform training programs for professionals. By understanding the interplay between neglect and its effect on behavior and the brain, it will be possible to design therapies that specifically target affected brain circuits, supporting children in developing stronger cognitive, emotional, and social skills.
“In the future, the newfound brain-based indicators may be used to monitor neurodevelopment and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, contributing to the establishment of new support models for neglected children,” explained Tomoda.
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Source: University of Fukui ; Image:
The study can be found at: White matter microstructure abnormalities in children experiencing neglect without other forms of maltreatment
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