Prolonged exposure to glucocorticoid stress hormones, such as cortisol in humans, has been associated with structural and functional changes in the hippocampus. The majority of research demonstrating these associations in humans has been conducted in adult, clinical, or severely maltreated populations, with little research investigating these effects in young or more typically developing populations. The present study sought to address this gap by investigating longitudinal associations between preschool (3−5 years) and concurrent (5–9 years) cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor and hippocampal functional connectivity during a passive viewing fMRI scan. Results showed that, after controlling for concurrent cortisol reactivity, greater total cortisol release in response to a stressor during preschool predicted increased anterior and posterior hippocampal connectivity with the precuneus and cingulate gyrus at school-age. These findings are consistent with literature from adult and non-human investigations and suggest lasting impacts of early stress physiology on the brain.

长时间暴露于糖皮质激素应激激素（如人类的皮质醇）与海马的结构和功能变化有关。在成人，临床或严重虐待人群中进行的大多数研究表明，这些与人类的关联性，而在年轻人群或更典型的发展中人群中，很少有研究调查这些影响。本研究通过研究学龄前（3-5岁）与同时（5-9年）皮质醇反应性与实验室应激源和海马功能连接之间的纵向联系，以解决这一差距。结果表明，在控制并发皮质醇反应性之后，学龄前对应激源的反应，皮质醇释放总量增加，预计在学龄前海马与前神经和扣带回之间的连通性增加。这些发现与成人和非人类研究的文献一致，并暗示了早期压力生理对大脑的持久影响。