Research shows that children exhibit significant brain activity when responding to caregiver cues. A study involving 148 young children examined how experiences of threat, such as physical abuse or domestic violence, affect neural responses to these cues. The children, averaging 6.45 years old, displayed heightened brain activation in areas linked to salience detection, visual processing, and social cognition when exposed to caregivers compared to strangers. Notably, those with threat experiences showed increased activation in the insula, a brain region important for processing emotional and visceral signals, specifically in response to caregiver cues. These findings suggest that such adverse experiences may disrupt the way children process interactions with caregivers, potentially affecting their mental health and the caregiver-child relationship. The study aligns with previous rodent research indicating that threat can influence brain function and behavior in parent-child dynamics.