A 2012 study published in Current Biology showed that children who were exposed to family violence showed changes in the reactivity of their amygdalae and AIs that were similar to those seen in soldiers returning from combat. Even when these children showed no outward signs of unusual levels of depression or anxiety, studies of their brain activity showed that their systems were in vigilant gear and overly reactive to perceived threats.⁠ ⁠ Twenty children who had been exposed to family violence and 20 control-matched peers were shown pictures of angry, sad, or neutral faces. The children all had normal outward levels of anxiety and depression. Their neurological response to the pictures was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). When viewing the angry faces, the children who had been exposed to family violence showed a greater level of activation of the amygdala and AI regions compared to controls. They did not overreact to the sad or neutral faces. The degrees of ac...