LONDON — A research from King's College London published in the journal Nature, studied the effects of chronic bullying among young adults between the ages of 14 and 19 years old.<br /><br />The study warns that bullying during adolescence can alter the brain's shape and in turn cause social and mental health issues.<br /><br />Researchers gave participants brain scans and questionnaires to understand the extent of the bullying they have suffered.<br /><br />Results revealed that the brains of the most bullied participants had certain regions of their brains that had shrunk <br /><br />The areas of the brain that had shrunk are called the putamen and caudate. They assist in behavioral processes such as emotional processing and attention span.<br /><br />Nineteen-year-olds from the study who showed shrinking of these areas also experienced higher levels of anxiety.<br /><br />This study is the first to connect bullying during adolescence to brain development.
