Neglect is quiet, but its effects cut deep. Researchers at the University of Fukui in Japan have shown that children who experience neglect, without any other form of maltreatment, display striking changes in the brain’s white matter.

Using advanced diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the team found that neglected children had abnormalities in pathways tied to movement, attention, and emotional regulation. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, provide some of the first hard biological evidence of how this invisible form of maltreatment reshapes the developing brain, with implications for policy, early detection, and treatment.

Neglect as the Hidden Majority

When we talk about child abuse, people tend to picture bruises, yelling, or worse. But neglect, simply failing to provide the basics of care, is by far the most common form, affecting about 76 percent of substantiated cases worldwide. According to UNICEF, neglect is recognized globally as one of the most widespread forms of child maltreatment. In the United States, the CDC reports that three out of four confirmed maltreatment cases involve neglect. And because neglect often leaves no visible scars, it is easier for teachers, physicians, and social workers to miss. A child may seem “fine” on the outside, even as their brain is being quietly rewired.

Inside the Study

Led by Professor Akemi Tomoda at the Research Center for Child Mental Development, the Fukui team compared 21 children with confirmed neglect histories to 106 typically developing peers. DTI allowed them to map the integrity of white matter fibers, the neural highways that connect different regions of the brain. Even subtle microstructural disruptions can ripple into lasting cognitive and emotional differences.

The neglected children showed larger axial diffusivity values in three specific tracts: the right corticospinal tract, which controls voluntary movement; the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, key to attention and language; and the left cingulum, crucial for linking emotional and cognitive systems. These abnormalities were not just technical blips, they correlated with conduct problems and behavioral difficulties in the children’s daily lives.

“Our findings demonstrate that even in the absence of physical or emotional abuse, neglect alone can have a profound impact on brain development,” highlights Dr. Tomoda.

The Meaning of White Matter Change

White matter abnormalities might sound like lab jargon, but the significance is stark. These tracts form the infrastructure of how thoughts, emotions, and actions flow. A disruption here can translate into attention deficits, emotional volatility, or difficulty controlling impulses. In other words, neglect does not just deprive a child of food, shelter, or safety, it rewires their very capacity to cope, learn, and relate.

Why This Matters for Policy

Because neglect is so often invisible, hard biological evidence matters. Imaging markers could eventually help clinicians identify affected children earlier, before behavioral issues spiral into crisis. That is especially valuable since conduct problems often appear years after the neglect itself. And the data may nudge policymakers toward recognizing neglect not as a lesser form of abuse, but as one of the most damaging.

“In the future, the newfound brain-based indicators may be used to monitor neurodevelopment and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions,” concludes Dr. Tomoda.

A Silent Epidemic with Long Reach

The study does not claim to solve neglect, but it makes one thing harder to ignore: neglect changes the brain. Quietly, profoundly, and lastingly. For now, these imaging results serve as a warning and a call. Support systems must catch neglected children earlier. Therapies must target not only behavior but the brain pathways themselves. And researchers must continue to shine light on this often-overlooked form of maltreatment.

The silent epidemic of neglect has left children overlooked twice, first by caregivers, then by science. This work starts to change that.

Journal: Scientific Reports
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-13363-y