Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem associated with long-lasting psychological and physical morbidity. Repeated exposure to violence may act as a chronic stressor affecting brain function through interacting psychological, neuroendocrine, inflammatory, traumatic, and hypoxic mechanisms. However, the neurocognitive and neurobiological consequences of IPV in women remain poorly characterized, particularly through integrated assessment of psychological, cognitive, electrophysiological, and peripheral biological alterations. Aim of the study: This study aimed to characterize neurocognitive vulnerability in women exposed to IPV and explore associated neurophysiological and peripheral biological alterations. Materials and methods: This ongoing multicentre observational study included 66 women aged 18–50 years: 41 IPV-exposed participants and 25 non-exposed controls recruited within the WISH (Women Intimate Shelter) project in Padova and Milan. Participants underwent clinical characterization, validated self-report assessment of trauma-related psychopathology, mood, dissociation, perceived stress and sleep, and neuropsychological testing of visuospatial memory, executive functions, decision-making, allocentric spatial memory, and affective social cognition. Cognitive analyses were adjusted for age and education. Exploratory 32-channel EEG assessed resting-state spectral activity and response-locked neural dynamics during the Four Mountains Test. Serum BDNF was quantified by ELISA, while circulating cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were assessed using multiplex immunoassays. Results: IPV-exposed women showed greater post-traumatic stress, perceived stress, mood disturbance, dissociative symptoms, and insomnia. After adjustment for age and education, poorer performance persisted in delayed visuospatial recall, cognitive flexibility, decision-making, allocentric spatial memory, and affective theory of mind. Poorer Four Mountains Test performance suggested selective vulnerability of hippocampus-dependent allocentric spatial processing. Exploratory EEG analyses in a small subsample showed greater low-frequency activity and reduced alpha prominence at rest, together with altered pre-response theta dynamics during allocentric spatial-memory performance, predominantly over right centro-temporal and centro-parietal regions. Serum BDNF was moderately lower in IPV-exposed women, although the difference was not statistically significant. Cytokine analyses suggested a coordinated shift toward greater innate inflammatory signalling, while circulating FLT3-L was markedly reduced. Biological findings remain preliminary because of the small subsamples. Conclusions: These preliminary findings indicate that IPV exposure is associated with a multidimensional phenotype extending beyond trauma-related psychopathology to selective neurocognitive dysfunction and potentially neurophysiological and peripheral biological alterations. The convergence of impaired delayed and allocentric visuospatial memory with altered task-related theta dynamics is consistent with altered recruitment of distributed hippocampus-dependent memory networks, although anatomical or causal inference is not possible. Peripheral findings raise the possibility of alterations in neurotrophic, inflammatory, and hematopoietic regulation. Larger longitudinal cohorts are required to confirm these observations and disentangle the contributions of chronic traumatic stress, psychopathology, sleep disturbance, traumatic brain injury, strangulation-related hypoxia, and other associated factors. Overall, the findings support the conceptualization of IPV not exclusively as a social or psychiatric problem, but as a potentially multisystem health exposure with measurable neuropsychological, neurophysiological, and biological correlates.
Presupposti dello studio: La violenza da partner intimo (Intimate Partner Violence, IPV) rappresenta un rilevante problema di salute pubblica, associato a conseguenze psicologiche e fisiche persistenti. L’esposizione ripetuta alla violenza può agire come stressor cronico in grado di influenzare la funzione cerebrale attraverso l’interazione di meccanismi psicologici, neuroendocrini, infiammatori, traumatici e ipossici. Tuttavia, le conseguenze neurocognitive e neurobiologiche dell’IPV nelle donne rimangono scarsamente caratterizzate, soprattutto mediante una valutazione integrata delle alterazioni psicologiche, cognitive, elettrofisiologiche e biologiche periferiche. Scopo dello studio: Lo studio si propone di caratterizzare la vulnerabilità neurocognitiva nelle donne esposte a IPV e di esplorare le alterazioni neurofisiologiche e biologiche periferiche associate. Materiali e metodi: Questo studio osservazionale multicentrico, attualmente in corso, ha incluso 66 donne di età compresa tra 18 e 50 anni: 41 esposte a IPV e 25 controlli non esposti, reclutate nell’ambito del progetto WISH (Women Intimate Shelter) a Padova e Milano. Le partecipanti sono state sottoposte a caratterizzazione clinica, questionari self-report validati e test neuropsicologici per la valutazione di memoria visuospaziale, funzioni esecutive, processi decisionali, memoria spaziale allocentrica e cognizione sociale affettiva. In sottocampioni sono state inoltre effettuate registrazioni EEG a riposo e durante il Four Mountains Test, quantificazione sierica del BDNF mediante ELISA e analisi di citochine, chemochine e fattori di crescita mediante immunodosaggi multiplex. Risultati: Le donne esposte a IPV hanno mostrato maggiori sintomi da stress post-traumatico, stress percepito, alterazioni dell’umore, sintomi dissociativi e insonnia. Dopo correzione per età e istruzione, sono persistite prestazioni inferiori nel richiamo visuospaziale differito, nella flessibilità cognitiva, nei processi decisionali, nella memoria spaziale allocentrica e nella teoria della mente affettiva. Le peggiori prestazioni al Four Mountains Test hanno suggerito una vulnerabilità selettiva dei processi spaziali allocentrici dipendenti dall’ippocampo. Le analisi EEG esplorative, condotte in un piccolo sottocampione, hanno mostrato maggiore attività a bassa frequenza e minore predominanza alfa a riposo, insieme ad alterazioni delle dinamiche theta precedenti la risposta durante il compito, prevalentemente nelle regioni centro-temporali e centro-parietali destre. Il BDNF sierico è risultato moderatamente inferiore nelle donne esposte a IPV, senza raggiungere la significatività statistica. Le analisi delle citochine hanno suggerito una maggiore segnalazione infiammatoria innata, mentre FLT3-L è risultato marcatamente ridotto. I risultati biologici rimangono preliminari per la ridotta numerosità dei sottocampioni. Conclusioni: I risultati preliminari indicano che l’esposizione a IPV è associata a un fenotipo multidimensionale che, oltre alla psicopatologia correlata al trauma, comprende disfunzioni neurocognitive selettive e potenziali alterazioni neurofisiologiche e biologiche periferiche. La compromissione della memoria visuospaziale differita e allocentrica, insieme alle alterazioni delle dinamiche theta correlate al compito, appare coerente con un’alterata attivazione di reti mnestiche dipendenti dall’ippocampo, senza consentire inferenze anatomiche o causali. I risultati relativi a BDNF e marcatori immunitari suggeriscono possibili alterazioni della regolazione neurotrofica, infiammatoria ed ematopoietica. Studi longitudinali su campioni più ampi saranno necessari per confermare tali osservazioni e chiarire il contributo dei diversi fattori associati all’IPV. Nel complesso, l’IPV potrebbe rappresentare un’esposizione dannosa per la salute a livello multisistemico, associata a correlati neuropsicologici, neurofisiologici e biologici misurabili.
Neurocognitive Vulnerability Following Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Neuropsychological Testing and Peripheral Biomarkers
BALDINI, LINDA
2025/2026
Abstract
Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem associated with long-lasting psychological and physical morbidity. Repeated exposure to violence may act as a chronic stressor affecting brain function through interacting psychological, neuroendocrine, inflammatory, traumatic, and hypoxic mechanisms. However, the neurocognitive and neurobiological consequences of IPV in women remain poorly characterized, particularly through integrated assessment of psychological, cognitive, electrophysiological, and peripheral biological alterations. Aim of the study: This study aimed to characterize neurocognitive vulnerability in women exposed to IPV and explore associated neurophysiological and peripheral biological alterations. Materials and methods: This ongoing multicentre observational study included 66 women aged 18–50 years: 41 IPV-exposed participants and 25 non-exposed controls recruited within the WISH (Women Intimate Shelter) project in Padova and Milan. Participants underwent clinical characterization, validated self-report assessment of trauma-related psychopathology, mood, dissociation, perceived stress and sleep, and neuropsychological testing of visuospatial memory, executive functions, decision-making, allocentric spatial memory, and affective social cognition. Cognitive analyses were adjusted for age and education. Exploratory 32-channel EEG assessed resting-state spectral activity and response-locked neural dynamics during the Four Mountains Test. Serum BDNF was quantified by ELISA, while circulating cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were assessed using multiplex immunoassays. Results: IPV-exposed women showed greater post-traumatic stress, perceived stress, mood disturbance, dissociative symptoms, and insomnia. After adjustment for age and education, poorer performance persisted in delayed visuospatial recall, cognitive flexibility, decision-making, allocentric spatial memory, and affective theory of mind. Poorer Four Mountains Test performance suggested selective vulnerability of hippocampus-dependent allocentric spatial processing. Exploratory EEG analyses in a small subsample showed greater low-frequency activity and reduced alpha prominence at rest, together with altered pre-response theta dynamics during allocentric spatial-memory performance, predominantly over right centro-temporal and centro-parietal regions. Serum BDNF was moderately lower in IPV-exposed women, although the difference was not statistically significant. Cytokine analyses suggested a coordinated shift toward greater innate inflammatory signalling, while circulating FLT3-L was markedly reduced. Biological findings remain preliminary because of the small subsamples. Conclusions: These preliminary findings indicate that IPV exposure is associated with a multidimensional phenotype extending beyond trauma-related psychopathology to selective neurocognitive dysfunction and potentially neurophysiological and peripheral biological alterations. The convergence of impaired delayed and allocentric visuospatial memory with altered task-related theta dynamics is consistent with altered recruitment of distributed hippocampus-dependent memory networks, although anatomical or causal inference is not possible. Peripheral findings raise the possibility of alterations in neurotrophic, inflammatory, and hematopoietic regulation. Larger longitudinal cohorts are required to confirm these observations and disentangle the contributions of chronic traumatic stress, psychopathology, sleep disturbance, traumatic brain injury, strangulation-related hypoxia, and other associated factors. Overall, the findings support the conceptualization of IPV not exclusively as a social or psychiatric problem, but as a potentially multisystem health exposure with measurable neuropsychological, neurophysiological, and biological correlates.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Baldini_Linda.pdf
accesso aperto
Dimensione
7.51 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
7.51 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
The text of this website © Università degli studi di Padova. Full Text are published under a non-exclusive license. Metadata are under a CC0 License
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/116707