1
|
Glynn LM, Liu SR, Lucas CT, Davis EP. Leveraging the science of early life predictability to inform policies promoting child health. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 69:101437. [PMID: 39260117 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Addressing the tremendous burden of early-life adversity requires constructive dialogues between scientists and policy makers to improve population health. Whereas dialogues focused on several aspects of early-life adversity have been initiated, discussion of an underrecognized form of adversity that has been observed across multiple contexts and cultures is only now emerging. Here we provide evidence for "why unpredictability?", including: 1. Evidence that exposures to unpredictability affect child neurodevelopment, with influences that persist into adulthood. 2. The existence of a translational non-human animal model of exposure to early life unpredictability that can be capitalized upon to causally probe neurobiological mechanisms. 3. Evidence that patterns of signals in the early environment promote brain maturation across species. 4. The uneven distribution of unpredictability across demographic populations that illuminates a possible focal point for enhancing health equity. We then outline the potential of unpredictability in terms of the "what"; that is, how might the concept of unpredictability be leveraged to inform policy? We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary and community partnerships to the success of this work and describe our community-engaged research project. Finally, we highlight opportunities for the science of unpredictability to inform policies in areas such as screening, immigration, criminal justice, education, childcare, child welfare, employment, healthcare and housing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, United States.
| | - Sabrina R Liu
- Department of Human Development, California State University San Marcos, United States
| | | | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Denver, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zik J, Berkowitz S. Editorial: Chronicity of Maltreatment and the Importance of Attachment and Peer Relationships on Youth Mental Health Trajectory. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 63:771-772. [PMID: 38280412 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment impacts human development across the life span in most areas of functioning, particularly the onset of mental health symptoms. As our understanding of the biological underpinnings of the effects of maltreatment on childhood development continues to grow, it becomes even more salient to delineate and understand potential variance associated with timing and chronicity of maltreatment. Moreover, as family and peer relationships are known to mediate effects of stress on childhood mental health outcomes,1,2 it is important to acknowledge and specifically explore the potential effects of the relational context of a child when stress and trauma are being investigated. By gaining understanding of these complexities of the interplay between maltreatment, attachment/relational patterns, and mental health symptoms, we can most effectively focus efforts on formulation, prevention, and treatment. Duprey et al.3 begin to directly address this need by performing a longitudinal follow-up study on participants who participated in a 1-week research summer camp (at the time of participation: N = 697; mean [SD] age = 11.29 [0.97] years; 71.3% Black or African American; 50.5% male; at the time of contact for second wave of assessment: n = 427; mean [SD] age = 19.67 [1.16] years; 78.0% Black or African American; 48.9% male) examining the indirect effects of child maltreatment timing and chronicity to young adult internalizing and externalizing symptomatology via childhood attachment security and peer problems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jodi Zik
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Volkow ND, Gordon JA, Bianchi DW, Chiang MF, Clayton JA, Klein WM, Koob GF, Koroshetz WJ, Pérez-Stable EJ, Simoni JM, Tromberg BJ, Woychik RP, Hommer R, Spotts EL, Xu B, Zehr JL, Cole KM, Dowling GJ, Freund MP, Howlett KD, Jordan CJ, Murray TM, Pariyadath V, Prabhakar J, Rankin ML, Sarampote CS, Weiss SRB. The HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD): NIH collaboration to understand the impacts of prenatal and early life experiences on brain development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 69:101423. [PMID: 39098249 PMCID: PMC11342761 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The human brain undergoes rapid development during the first years of life. Beginning in utero, a wide array of biological, social, and environmental factors can have lasting impacts on brain structure and function. To understand how prenatal and early life experiences alter neurodevelopmental trajectories and shape health outcomes, several NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices collaborated to support and launch the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study. The HBCD Study is a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, that will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. Influenced by the success of the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®) and in partnership with the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, the HBCD Study aims to establish a diverse cohort of over 7000 pregnant participants to understand how early life experiences, including prenatal exposure to addictive substances and adverse social environments as well as their interactions with an individual's genes, can affect neurodevelopmental trajectories and outcomes. Knowledge gained from the HBCD Study will help identify targets for early interventions and inform policies that promote resilience and mitigate the neurodevelopmental effects of adverse childhood experiences and environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nora D Volkow
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joshua A Gordon
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Diana W Bianchi
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael F Chiang
- National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Janine A Clayton
- Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - William M Klein
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - George F Koob
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Walter J Koroshetz
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eliseo J Pérez-Stable
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jane M Simoni
- Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Bruce J Tromberg
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Richard P Woychik
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rebecca Hommer
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Erica L Spotts
- Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin Xu
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Julia L Zehr
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Katherine M Cole
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Gayathri J Dowling
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michelle P Freund
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Katia D Howlett
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chloe J Jordan
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Traci M Murray
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vani Pariyadath
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Janani Prabhakar
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michele L Rankin
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Susan R B Weiss
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kavanaugh BC, Vigne MM, Tirrell E, Luke Acuff W, Fukuda AM, Thorpe R, Sherman A, Jones SR, Carpenter LL, Tyrka AR. Frontoparietal beta event characteristics are associated with early life stress and psychiatric symptoms in adults. Brain Cogn 2024; 177:106164. [PMID: 38670050 PMCID: PMC11193540 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Recent work has found that the presence of transient, oscillatory burst-like events, particularly within the beta band (15-29 Hz), is more closely tied to disease state and behavior across species than traditional electroencephalography (EEG) power metrics. This study sought to examine whether features of beta events over frontoparietal electrodes were associated with early life stress (ELS) and the related clinical presentation. Eighteen adults with documented ELS (n = 18; ELS + ) and eighteen adults without documented ELS (n = 18; ELS-) completed eyes-closed resting state EEG as part of their participation in a larger childhood stress study. The rate, power, duration, and frequency span of transient oscillatory events were calculated within the beta band at five frontoparietal electrodes. ELS variables were positively associated with beta event rate at Fp2 and beta event duration at Pz, in that greater ELS was associated with higher resting rates and longer durations. These beta event characteristics were used to successfully distinguish between ELS + and ELS- groups. In an independent clinical dataset (n = 25), beta event power at Pz was positively correlated with ELS. Beta events deserve ongoing investigation as a potential disease marker of ELS and subsequent psychiatric treatment outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Kavanaugh
- E.P. Bradley Hospital, Riverside RI, USA, Brown University; Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA.
| | - Megan M Vigne
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| | - Eric Tirrell
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| | - W Luke Acuff
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| | - Andrew M Fukuda
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| | - Ryan Thorpe
- Brown University, Department of Neuroscience, Providence RI, USA , Providence Veteran's Association Medical Center
| | - Anna Sherman
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| | - Stephanie R Jones
- Brown University, Department of Neuroscience, Providence RI, USA , Providence Veteran's Association Medical Center; Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Providence RI, USA
| | - Linda L Carpenter
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| | - Audrey R Tyrka
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence RI, USA; Butler Hospital COBRE Center for Neuromodulation, Providence RI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wade M, Parker V, Tang A, Fox NA, Zeanah CH, Nelson CA. Linking caregiving quality during infancy to brain activity in early childhood and later executive function. Dev Sci 2024:e13517. [PMID: 38654410 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
There is no relationship more vital than the one a child shares with their primary caregivers early in development. Yet many children worldwide are raised in settings that lack the warmth, connection, and stimulation provided by a responsive primary caregiver. In this study, we used data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), a longitudinal study of institutionally-reared and family-reared children, to test how caregiving quality during infancy is associated with average EEG power over the first 3.5 years of life in alpha, beta, and theta frequency bands, and associations with later executive function (EF) at age 8 years. The sample comprised 189 children (129 institutionally-reared; 60 family-reared) who contributed data on observed caregiving quality during infancy (baseline; average age of 22 months), resting EEG power at baseline, 30, and 42 months, and performance-based data on a series of EF tasks at 8 years. Using Bayesian estimation, observed caregiving quality at baseline was marginally linked with higher average alpha and beta power, and lower theta power, from baseline to 42 months. In turn, higher average beta power and lower average theta power were marginally associated with higher EF at 8 years. In indirect effects models, higher caregiving quality at baseline was associated with higher EF at 8 years, with a marginal indirect effect through average theta power from baseline to 42 months. Variation in the quality of the early caregiving environment may be associated with later executive function, which is partially underpinned by individual differences in brain activity during early childhood. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Examined associations between caregiving quality during infancy, brain activity during early childhood, and executive function during mid-childhood in sample of never-institutionalized and institutionally-reared children. Significant associations between higher quality caregiving during infancy and higher executive function during middle childhood. Marginal associations between caregiving quality during infancy and brain activity during early childhood. Marginal associations between brain activity during early childhood and executive function during mid-childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark Wade
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Victoria Parker
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alva Tang
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Charles H Zeanah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nelson CA, Sullivan E, Engelstad AM. Annual Research Review: Early intervention viewed through the lens of developmental neuroscience. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:435-455. [PMID: 37438865 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The overarching goal of this paper is to examine the efficacy of early intervention when viewed through the lens of developmental neuroscience. We begin by briefly summarizing neural development from conception through the first few postnatal years. We emphasize the role of experience during the postnatal period, and consistent with decades of research on critical periods, we argue that experience can represent both a period of opportunity and a period of vulnerability. Because plasticity is at the heart of early intervention, we next turn our attention to the efficacy of early intervention drawing from two distinct literatures: early intervention services for children growing up in disadvantaged environments, and children at elevated likelihood of developing a neurodevelopmental delay or disorder. In the case of the former, we single out interventions that target caregiving and in the case of the latter, we highlight recent work on autism. A consistent theme throughout our review is a discussion of how early intervention is embedded in the developing brain. We conclude our article by discussing the implications our review has for policy, and we then offer recommendations for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles A Nelson
- Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eileen Sullivan
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anne-Michelle Engelstad
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Davis EP, Glynn LM. Annual Research Review: The power of predictability - patterns of signals in early life shape neurodevelopment and mental health trajectories. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:508-534. [PMID: 38374811 PMCID: PMC11283837 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The global burden of early life adversity (ELA) is profound. The World Health Organization has estimated that ELA accounts for almost 30% of all psychiatric cases. Yet, our ability to identify which individuals exposed to ELA will develop mental illness remains poor and there is a critical need to identify underlying pathways and mechanisms. This review proposes unpredictability as an understudied aspect of ELA that is tractable and presents a conceptual model that includes biologically plausible mechanistic pathways by which unpredictability impacts the developing brain. The model is supported by a synthesis of published and new data illustrating the significant impacts of patterns of signals on child development. We begin with an overview of the existing unpredictability literature, which has focused primarily on longer patterns of unpredictability (e.g. years, months, and days). We then describe our work testing the impact of patterns of parental signals on a moment-to-moment timescale, providing evidence that patterns of these signals during sensitive windows of development influence neurocircuit formation across species and thus may be an evolutionarily conserved process that shapes the developing brain. Next, attention is drawn to emerging themes which provide a framework for future directions of research including the evaluation of functions, such as effortful control, that may be particularly vulnerable to unpredictability, sensitive periods, sex differences, cross-cultural investigations, addressing causality, and unpredictability as a pathway by which other forms of ELA impact development. Finally, we provide suggestions for prevention and intervention, including the introduction of a screening instrument for the identification of children exposed to unpredictable experiences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Laura M. Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Stern JA, Kelsey CM, Yancey H, Grossmann T. Love on the developing brain: Maternal sensitivity and infants' neural responses to emotion in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Dev Sci 2024:e13497. [PMID: 38511516 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Infancy is a sensitive period of development, during which experiences of parental care are particularly important for shaping the developing brain. In a longitudinal study of N = 95 mothers and infants, we examined links between caregiving behavior (maternal sensitivity observed during a mother-infant free-play) and infants' neural response to emotion (happy, angry, and fearful faces) at 5 and 7 months of age. Neural activity was assessed using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a region involved in cognitive control and emotion regulation. Maternal sensitivity was positively correlated with infants' neural responses to happy faces in the bilateral dlPFC and was associated with relative increases in such responses from 5 to 7 months. Multilevel analyses revealed caregiving-related individual differences in infants' neural responses to happy compared to fearful faces in the bilateral dlPFC, as well as other brain regions. We suggest that variability in dlPFC responses to emotion in the developing brain may be one correlate of early experiences of caregiving, with implications for social-emotional functioning and self-regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Stern
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Caroline M Kelsey
- Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Heath Yancey
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Tobias Grossmann
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Oliveira PS. The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children's attachment outcomes. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1332898. [PMID: 38586563 PMCID: PMC10995925 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1332898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Researchers interested in the effects of early experiences of caregiving adversity have employed neuroscientific methods to illuminate whether and how such environmental input impacts on brain development, and whether and how such impacts underpin poor socioemotional outcomes in this population. Evidence is compelling in documenting negative effects on the individual's neurodevelopment following exposure to adverse or disadvantaged environments such as institutionalization or maltreatment. Neuroimaging research focused specifically on attachment-relevant processing of socioemotional stimuli and attachment outcomes among children looked-after is scarcer, but largely consistent. This review begins by summarizing the key general brain structural and functional alterations associated with caregiving deprivation. Then, neuroscientific evidence that is more directly relevant for understanding these children's attachment outcomes, both by employing social stimuli and by correlating children's neural markers with their attachment profiles, is reviewed. Brief interpretations of findings are suggested, and key limitations and gaps in the literature identified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paula S. Oliveira
- Anna Freud, and Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mahadevan J, Gautam M, Benegal V. Mental health and well-being for the prevention of substance use disorders. Indian J Psychiatry 2024; 66:S272-S282. [PMID: 38445279 PMCID: PMC10911324 DOI: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_716_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jayant Mahadevan
- Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS, Bangalore, Karnataka, India E-mail:
| | - Manaswi Gautam
- Consultant Psychiatrist, Gautam Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Vivek Benegal
- Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS, Bangalore, Karnataka, India E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
McDermott CL, Norton ES, Mackey AP. A systematic review of interventions to ameliorate the impact of adversity on brain development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105391. [PMID: 37708920 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Adversity, including abuse, neglect, and poverty, impacts child brain development. However, the developing brain is highly plastic, and some of the impacts of childhood adversity may be mitigated by psychosocial interventions. The purpose of this review is to synthesize literature on neural outcomes of childhood interventions among individuals exposed to adversity. A systematic literature search identified 36 reports of 13 interventions. Overall, these studies provide evidence for experience-dependent plasticity in the developing brain. We synthesize studies in light of three themes. First, there was mixed evidence for a benefit of a younger age at intervention. Second, interventions tended to accelerate functional brain development, but the impact of interventions on the pace of structural brain development was less clear. Third, individual differences in intervention response were difficult to predict, in part due to small samples. However, there was significant variability in intervention type and timing, neuroimaging outcomes, and follow-up timing. Together, the studies reviewed here hold promise for the role of psychosocial interventions in ameliorating the neurodevelopmental consequences of childhood adversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cassidy L McDermott
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
| | - Elizabeth S Norton
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of Medical Social Sciences, and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Allyson P Mackey
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Yong R, Chai H, Ran L, Li Y, An B. Depression in the next generation is related with maternal behaviors: A cross-comparison by alternating rat's mother care. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291952. [PMID: 37733756 PMCID: PMC10513200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the potential impacts of depressive rats' maternal behavior as an early life stress on the outcome of offspring as an adulthood. Offspring from the same mother were divided into two groups, half of them were fostered or remained by a depressive mother, and the other half remained or fostered by a control mother, respectively. The results showed that offspring fostered by depressive mothers presented significant depressive behaviors. Meanwhile, depressive mothers engaged in more grooming during the light cycle, but less off-the-pup behavior during the dark phase. In conclusion, offspring exposed to a postnatal depressive maternal environment developed a depressive-like behavior. Contrarily, postpartum maternal behaviors play an essential role, which might determine the outcome of the next generation. Furthermore, the appropriate timing of postpartum maternal caring sequences, which might eliminate prenatal stressful influences, was recognized and might be a promising approach for reducing children's predisposition to mental disorders in their life time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruixin Yong
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Hongxia Chai
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Lei Ran
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yuhao Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Bei An
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Nolvi S, Merz EC, Kataja EL, Parsons CE. Prenatal Stress and the Developing Brain: Postnatal Environments Promoting Resilience. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 93:942-952. [PMID: 36870895 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Heightened maternal stress during pregnancy is associated with atypical brain development and an elevated risk for psychopathology in offspring. Supportive environments during early postnatal life may promote brain development and reverse atypical developmental trajectories induced by prenatal stress. We reviewed studies focused on the role of key early environmental factors in moderating associations between prenatal stress exposure and infant brain and neurocognitive outcomes. Specifically, we focused on the associations between parental caregiving quality, environmental enrichment, social support, and socioeconomic status with infant brain and neurocognitive outcomes. We examined the evidence that these factors may moderate the effects of prenatal stress on the developing brain. Complementing findings from translational models, human research suggests that high-quality early postnatal environments are associated with indices of infant neurodevelopment that have also been associated with prenatal stress, such as hippocampal volume and frontolimbic connectivity. Human studies also suggest that maternal sensitivity and higher socioeconomic status may attenuate the effects of prenatal stress on established neurocognitive and neuroendocrine mediators of risk for psychopathology, such as hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning. Biological pathways that may underlie the effects of positive early environments on the infant brain, including the epigenome, oxytocin, and inflammation, are also discussed. Future research in humans should examine resilience-promoting processes in relation to infant brain development using large sample sizes and longitudinal designs. The findings from this review could be incorporated into clinical models of risk and resilience during the perinatal period and used to design more effective early programs that reduce risk for psychopathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saara Nolvi
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Clinical Medicine, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Center for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Emily C Merz
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Eeva-Leena Kataja
- Department of Clinical Medicine, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Center for Population Health Research, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Christine E Parsons
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Interacting Minds Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Tabachnick AR, Eiden RD, Labella MH, Dozier M. Effects of an attachment-based intervention on autonomic regulation among opioid-exposed infants. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22286. [PMID: 35748625 PMCID: PMC9400098 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about whether postnatal intervention enhances autonomic regulation among infants at risk for dysregulation due to prenatal opioid exposure. The present study evaluated the effects of modified Attachment Behavioral Catch-up (mABC) on autonomic regulation for opioid-exposed infants in a pilot randomized clinical trial. We hypothesized that, compared to a control intervention (modified Developmental Education for Families [mDEF]), mABC would be associated with higher resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period (PEP) as well as greater reactivity to and recovery from a social stressor (Still-Face Paradigm). Pregnant or peripartum women receiving opioid agonist therapy (61 mothers of 64 infants; final N = 36 infants) were randomly assigned to mABC or mDEF, 12-session home visiting programs beginning in the third trimester; mABC targets sensitive parenting, and mDEF targets cognitive and motor development. mABC was associated with significantly greater RSA reactivity and marginally greater PEP reactivity. In models accommodating missing data, mABC was additionally associated with significantly greater RSA recovery. In sensitivity analyses removing siblings, mABC predicted significantly enhanced PEP reactivity. Overall, in these preliminary analyses, mABC was associated with healthier autonomic regulation during a social stressor than mDEF. Thus, mABC may be a promising strategy to promote autonomic regulation among opioid-exposed infants through parenting intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra R. Tabachnick
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Rina Das Eiden
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Madelyn H. Labella
- Department of Psychological Sciences, William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Godoy PBG, Shephard E, Argeu A, Silveira LR, Salomone E, Aldred C, Green J, Polanczyk GV, Matijasevich A. Social communication therapy for children at risk for neurodevelopmental difficulties: Protocol for a clinical trial. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1514:104-115. [PMID: 35506888 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to adverse environments are risk factors for neurodevelopmental problems in childhood. Children exposed to such environments may benefit from interventions that target social communication abilities, since these are protective factors for healthy neurodevelopment. This randomized controlled trial will test the efficacy of Paediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) in improving social communication development in young children at risk for neurodevelopmental difficulties living in poverty in Brazil. Participants will be 160 children aged 2-4 years with lower-than-average social communication abilities and their primary caregivers. Child-caregiver dyads will be recruited from public childhood education centers in impoverished urban regions of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Lower-than-average social communication abilities will be defined by standard scores (≤84) on the socialization and/or communication domains of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Child-caregiver dyads will be randomized to receive 12 sessions of the PACT intervention (n = 80) or 5 months of community support as usual plus psychoeducation (n = 80). The primary outcome (parent-child interaction) and secondary outcomes (parent-reported social communication abilities and neurophysiological activity during a live social interaction) will be measured pre- and postintervention. This study may lead to new interventions for vulnerable young children in Brazil and better understanding of the neural mechanisms of PACT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla B G Godoy
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Shephard
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, UK
| | - Adriana Argeu
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leticia R Silveira
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Erica Salomone
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Catherine Aldred
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jonathan Green
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Guilherme V Polanczyk
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alicia Matijasevich
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Luby JL, Rogers C, McLaughlin KA. Environmental Conditions to Promote Healthy Childhood Brain/Behavioral Development: Informing Early Preventive Interventions for Delivery in Routine Care. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 2:233-241. [PMID: 35855293 PMCID: PMC9291732 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental experiences early in life have strong and enduring consequences for cognitive, emotional, and neurobiological development and related physical and mental health trajectories. The powerful influence of early caregiver nurturance and stimulation on promoting positive neurodevelopmental outcomes has been demonstrated across species. These findings elucidate the environmental conditions known to facilitate healthy neurodevelopment and underscore the potential for modifiable psychosocial factors in the environment to be harnessed to inform early preventive interventions to promote health and adaptive development. A framework for early preventive interventions to enhance nurturing and responsive caregiving for implementation during early sensitive periods of brain development delivered within existing health or educational infrastructures is proposed. Emotional development during sensitive periods is an important, under-recognized, and abundantly modifiable predictor of mental and physical health outcomes that warrants investment of resources and integration of interventions into public health infrastructure for children worldwide. Future studies are needed to further clarify whether and when sensitive periods are present for key developmental domains to inform the optimal timing and targets of these interventions. Numerous available empirically supported early interventions may be modified and applied in briefer and more feasible modalities of delivery to broader populations of developing children. As well established in growth and development across species, essential environmental inputs that are particularly important at specified developmental periods facilitate optimal growth trajectories. Such principles hold great potential in application to early child neurodevelopment to facilitate a thriving and resilient human population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joan L. Luby
- Department of Psychiatry (Child), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cynthia Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry (Child), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Bick J, Lipschutz R, Tabachnick A, Biekman B, Katz D, Simons R, Dozier M. Timing of adoption is associated with electrophysiological brain activity and externalizing problems among children adopted internationally. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22249. [PMID: 35452537 PMCID: PMC9038029 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated middle childhood resting electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral adjustment in 35 internationally adopted children removed from early caregiving adversity between 6 and 29 months of age. Older age of adoption was associated with more immature or atypical profiles of middle childhood cortical function, based on higher relative theta power (4-6 Hz), lower relative alpha power (7-12 Hz), lower peak alpha frequency, and lower absolute beta (13-20 Hz) and gamma (21-50 Hz) power. More immature or atypical EEG spectral power indirectly linked older age of adoption with increased risk for externalizing problems in middle childhood. The findings add to existing evidence linking duration of early adverse exposures with lasting effects on brain function and behavioral regulation even years after living in a stable adoptive family setting. Findings underscore the need to minimize and prevent children's exposures to early caregiving adversity, especially in the first years of life. They call for innovative interventions to support neurotypical development in internationally adopted children at elevated risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Bick
- Department of Psychology University of Houston Houston Texas USA
| | | | - Alexandra Tabachnick
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences University of Delaware Newark Delaware USA
| | - Brian Biekman
- Department of Psychology University of Houston Houston Texas USA
| | - Danielle Katz
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences University of Delaware Newark Delaware USA
| | - Robert Simons
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences University of Delaware Newark Delaware USA
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences University of Delaware Newark Delaware USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bourne SV, Korom M, Dozier M. Consequences of Inadequate Caregiving for Children's Attachment, Neurobiological Development, and Adaptive Functioning. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2022; 25:166-181. [PMID: 35201540 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-022-00386-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Given that human infants are almost fully reliant on caregivers for survival, the presence of parents who provide sensitive, responsive care support infants and young children in developing the foundation for optimal biological functioning. Conversely, when parents are unavailable or insensitive, there are consequences for infants' and children's attachment and neurobiological development. In this paper, we describe effects of inadequate parenting on children's neurobiological and behavioral development, with a focus on developing capacities for executive functioning, emotion regulation, and other important cognitive-affective processes. Most prior research has examined correlational associations among these constructs. Given that interventions tested through randomized clinical trials allow for causal inferences, we review longitudinal intervention effects on children's biobehavioral and cognitive-affective outcomes. In particular, we provide an overview of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a study in which children were randomized to continue in orphanage care (typically the most extreme condition of privation) or were placed into the homes of trained, supported foster parents. We also discuss findings regarding Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up, an intervention enhancing sensitivity among high-risk parents. We conclude by suggesting future directions for research in this area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stacia V Bourne
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - Marta Korom
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Killanin AD, Embury CM, Picci G, Heinrichs-Graham E, Wang YP, Calhoun VD, Stephen JM, Wilson TW. Trauma moderates the development of the oscillatory dynamics serving working memory in a sex-specific manner. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5206-5215. [PMID: 35106552 PMCID: PMC9667155 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Working memory, the ability to hold items in memory stores for further manipulation, is a higher order cognitive process that supports many aspects of daily life. Childhood trauma has been associated with altered cognitive development including particular deficits in verbal working memory (VWM), but the neural underpinnings remain poorly understood. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies of VWM have reliably shown decreased alpha activity in left-lateralized language regions during encoding, and increased alpha activity in parieto-occipital cortices during the maintenance phase. In this study, we examined whether childhood trauma affects behavioral performance and the oscillatory dynamics serving VWM using MEG in a cohort of 9- to 15-year-old youth. All participants completed a modified version of the UCLA Trauma History Profile and then performed a VWM task during MEG. Our findings indicated a sex-by-age-by-trauma three-way interaction, whereby younger females experiencing higher levels of trauma had the lowest d' accuracy scores and the strongest positive correlations with age (i.e. older performed better). Likewise, females with higher levels of childhood trauma exhibited altered age-related alpha changes during the maintenance phase within the right temporal and parietal cortices. These findings suggest that trauma exposure may alter the developmental trajectory of neural oscillations serving VWM processing in a sex-specific way.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abraham D Killanin
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA,College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Christine M Embury
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA,Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA
| | - Giorgia Picci
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | | | - Yu-Ping Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | - Vince D Calhoun
- Tri-Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | | | - Tony W Wilson
- Corresponding author: Tony W. Wilson, Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Londono Tobon A, Condon E, Sadler LS, Holland ML, Mayes LC, Slade A. School age effects of Minding the Baby-An attachment-based home-visiting intervention-On parenting and child behaviors. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:55-67. [PMID: 32907642 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Multiple interventions have been developed to improve the caregiver-child relationship as a buffer to the effects of early life adversity and toxic stress. However, relatively few studies have evaluated the long-term effects of these early childhood interventions, particularly on parenting and childhood behaviors. Here we describe the early school-age follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial of Minding the Baby ® (MTB), a reflective, attachment-based, trauma-informed, preventive home-visiting intervention for first-time mothers and their infants. Results indicate that mothers who participated in MTB are less likely to show impaired mentalizing compared to control mothers two to eight years after the intervention ended. Additionally, MTB mothers have lower levels of hostile and coercive parenting, and their children have lower total and externalizing problem behavior scores when compared to controls at follow-up. We discuss our findings in terms of their contribution to understanding the long-term parenting and childhood socio-emotional developmental effects of early preventive interventions for stressed populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lois S Sadler
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Linda C Mayes
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Arietta Slade
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Ilyka D, Johnson MH, Lloyd-Fox S. Infant social interactions and brain development: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:448-469. [PMID: 34506843 PMCID: PMC8522805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Associations between caregiver-infant behaviours during social interactions and brain development outcomes were investigated. Caregivers' and infants' behaviours in interactions related to children’s structural, functional and connectivity measures. Concurrent associations between behavioural and brain measures were apparent as early as three months postnatally. Long-term associations between behaviours in early interactions and brain development outcomes were observed decades later. Individual differences in early interactions and associated brain development is an important avenue for further research.
From birth, interactions with others are an integral part of a person’s daily life. In infancy, social exchanges are thought to be critical for optimal brain development. This systematic review explores this association by drawing together infant studies that relate adult-infant behaviours – coded from their social interactions - to children’s brain measures collected during a neuroimaging session in infancy, childhood, adolescence or adulthood. In total, we identified 55 studies that explored associations between infants’ social interactions and neural measures. These studies show that several aspects of caregiver-infant behaviours are associated with, or predict, a variety of neural responses in infants, children and adolescents. The presence of both concurrent and long-term associations - some of which are first observed just a few months postnatally and extend into adulthood - open an important research avenue and motivate further longitudinal studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dianna Ilyka
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Lloyd-Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Smith ES, Elliott D, Killick R, Crawford TJ, Kidby S, Reid VM. Infants Oscillatory Frequencies change during Free-Play. Infant Behav Dev 2021; 64:101612. [PMID: 34332261 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions are known to be an essential component of infant development. For this reason, exploring functional neural activity while infants are engaged in social interactions will enable a better understanding of the infant social brain. This in turn, will enable the beginning of disentangling the neural basis of social and non-social interactions as well as the influence that maternal engagement has on infant brain function. Maternal sensitivity serves as a model for socio-emotional development during infancy, which poses the question: do interactions between parents and their offspring present altered electrophysiological responses in comparison to the general population if said parents are at risk of mental health disorders? The current research aimed to observe the oscillatory activity of 6-month-old infants during spontaneous free-play interactions with their mother. A 5-minute unconstrained free-play session was recorded between infant-mother dyads with EEG recordings taken from the 6-month-old infants (n = 64). During the recording, social and non-social behaviours were coded and EEG assessed with these epochs. Results showed an increase in oscillatory activity both when an infant played independently or interacted with their mother and oscillatory power was greatest in the alpha and theta bands. In the present 6-month-old cohort, no hemispheric power differences were observed as oscillatory power in the corresponding neural regions (i.e. left and right temporal regions) appeared to mirror each other. Instead, temporal estimates were larger and different from all other regions, whilst the frontal and parietal regions bihemispherically displayed similar estimates, which were larger than those observed centrally, but smaller than those displayed in the temporal locations. The interactions observed between the behavioural events and frequency bands demonstrated a significant reduction in power comparative to the power observed in the gamma band during the baseline event. The present research sought to explore the obstacle of artificial play paradigms for neuroscience research, whereby researchers question how much these paradigms relate to reality. The present manuscript will discuss the strengths and limitations of taking an unconstrained free-play approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor S Smith
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, Downing Site, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - David Elliott
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK; School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rebecca Killick
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK
| | | | - Sayaka Kidby
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK
| | - Vincent M Reid
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK; School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Korom M, Goldstein A, Tabachnick AR, Palmwood EN, Simons RF, Dozier M. Early parenting intervention accelerates inhibitory control development among CPS-involved children in middle childhood: A randomized clinical trial. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13054. [PMID: 33098739 PMCID: PMC8065067 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Children at risk for neglect or abuse are vulnerable to delays in inhibitory control development. Prior findings suggest that early parenting interventions that target parental sensitivity and responsiveness during infancy can improve executive function outcomes of high-risk children during preschool years; however, little is known about how persistent these gains are through middle childhood. Participants included 76 CPS-involved children who were randomly assigned to either the ABC intervention (N = 32) or the Developmental Education for Families (DEF) control intervention (N = 44), and 53 low-risk children. Children completed the Stop Signal Reaction Time (SSRT) paradigm at ages 8 and 10. Intervention group predicted performance on the SSRT at age 8 such that children who received the ABC intervention and children in the low-risk group performed significantly better than children who received the DEF intervention (ABC vs. DEF: Cohen's d = 0.92; low-risk group vs. DEF: d = 0.56). The performances of the ABC and the low-risk groups were not statistically different. There were no significant group differences in SSRT performance at age 10. These findings demonstrate that the ABC intervention has long-term beneficial effects on inhibitory control development in children with a history of early caregiving adversity. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/P9oLyfo7pYA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Korom
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Alison Goldstein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | | | - Erin N Palmwood
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Robert F Simons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Korom M, Dozier M. The importance of responsive parenting for vulnerable infants. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 61:43-71. [PMID: 34266571 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2021.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The quality of the early caregiving context sets the stage for the developing child's long term developmental trajectory. Infants are born highly dependent on parents and other caregivers for critical input for developing brain and behavioral systems. When infants experience early adversity, they are at risk for difficulties regulating behavior, emotions, and physiology. Parenting interventions have been developed to enhance parental responsiveness, thereby enhancing child outcomes. One such program, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), is a home visiting intervention designed to enhance parenting nurturance and sensitivity. In this paper, we will consider the importance of parental sensitivity and developmental consequences of sensitive and insensitive care. We will then describe interventions that target parental responsiveness and intervention effectiveness, focusing primarily on ABC. Public policy recommendations related to the importance of parental responsiveness will then be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Korom
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Increasing secure base script knowledge among parents with Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:554-564. [PMID: 33487189 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated whether Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), a parenting intervention, altered the attachment representations of parents (average age of 34.2 years) who had been referred to Child Protective Services (CPS) due to risk for child maltreatment when their children were infants. Approximately 7 years after completing the intervention, parents who had been randomized to receive ABC (n = 43) exhibited greater secure base script knowledge than parents who had been randomized to receive a control intervention (n = 51). Low-risk parents (n = 79) exhibited greater secure base script knowledge than CPS-referred parents who had received a control intervention. However, levels of secure base script knowledge did not differ between low-risk parents and CPS-referred parents who had received the ABC intervention. In addition, secure base script knowledge was positively associated with parental sensitivity during interactions with their 8-year-old children among low-risk and CPS-referred parents. Mediational analyses supported the idea that the ABC intervention enhanced parents' sensitivity 7 years later indirectly via increases in parents' secure base script knowledge.
Collapse
|
26
|
Enhancing diurnal cortisol regulation among young children adopted internationally: A randomized controlled trial of a parenting-based intervention. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 32:1657-1668. [PMID: 33427179 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Children who have been adopted internationally commonly experience institutional care and other forms of adversity prior to adoption that can alter the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In particular, internationally adopted children tend to have blunted diurnal declines compared to children raised in their birth families. The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) intervention was developed to enhance young children's biological and behavioral regulation by promoting sensitive parenting. The current study used a randomized controlled trial to assess whether ABC improved the diurnal functioning of the HPA axis among 85 children who had been adopted internationally when they were between the ages of 4 and 33 months (M = 16.12). Prior to the intervention, there were no significant differences in diurnal cortisol production between children whose parents were randomly assigned to receive ABC and children whose parents were randomly assigned to receive a control intervention. After the intervention, children whose parents had received the ABC intervention exhibited steeper declines in cortisol levels throughout the day than children whose parents had received the control intervention. These results indicate that the ABC intervention is effective in enhancing a healthy pattern of diurnal HPA axis regulation for young children who have been adopted internationally.
Collapse
|
27
|
Russell JD, Herringa RJ. Editorial: The Preschool Emotional Brain. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2021; 60:29-31. [PMID: 32890671 PMCID: PMC8344655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
There is broad consensus that children's ability to regulate emotion, particularly negative affect, can have enormous implications for the cascading processes underlying social and emotional development. With the burgeoning autonomy of toddlerhood comes a rudimentary understanding of the varieties of emotional experience, and initial awareness that a child's actions can augment or attenuate the intensity of those experiences. Successful forays into emotion regulation are crucial for healthy psychological development, allowing children to accommodate life's difficulties by purposefully altering their emotional state (ie, coping) when necessary. By contrast, persistent negative affect in childhood is known to increase the risk for depression by late adolescence.1 Neuroimaging studies in youth and adults have implicated a key circuit in the generation and regulation of negative affect including the amygdala, a subcortical structure that detects emotionally salient information, and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a cortical region known to exert regulatory influence on the amygdala. Synchronous activation of these regions, reflecting functional transmission of information between them, is conceptually and empirically linked to individual differences in the intensity and purposeful modulation of emotion.2 Furthermore, amygdala reactivity is associated with negative affect in preschoolers,3 whereas emotion-related amygdala-mPFC connectivity may shape the subsequent development of resting (intrinsic) amygdala-mPFC connectivity, particularly in childhood.4.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin D Russell
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Ryan J Herringa
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Preliminary indications that the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up Intervention alters DNA methylation in maltreated children. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 32:1486-1494. [PMID: 31854285 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419001421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Maltreatment during development is associated with epigenetic changes to the genome. Enhancing caregiving may mitigate these effects. Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) is an intervention that has been shown to improve parent-child relationships and a variety of biological and behavioral outcomes among children that are involved in Child Protective Services. This preliminary study, using a small sample size, explored whether children who received ABC exhibit different methylation patterns than those who received a control intervention. The participants included 23 children aged 6-21 months who were randomized to receive ABC (n = 12) or a control intervention (n = 11). While the children displayed similar methylation patterns preintervention, DNA methylation varied between the ABC and control groups at 14,828 sites postintervention. Functional pathway analyses indicated that these differences were associated with gene pathways that are involved in cell signaling, metabolism, and neuronal development. This study is one of the first to explore parenting intervention effects on children's DNA methylation at the whole genome level in infancy. These preliminary findings provide a basis for hypothesis generation in further research with larger-scale studies regarding the malleability of epigenetic states that are associated with maltreatment.
Collapse
|
29
|
Changing parental depression and sensitivity: Randomized clinical trial of ABC's effectiveness in the community. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 33:1026-1040. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
AbstractAttachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) demonstrates efficacy in improving parent and child outcomes, with preliminary evidence for effectiveness in community settings. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a community-based ABC implementation in improving parent outcomes as well as to examine potential mediators and moderators of intervention effectiveness. Two hundred parents and their 5- to 21-month-old infants recruited from an urban community were randomly assigned to receive ABC or be placed on a waitlist. The majority of participants had a minority racial or ethnic background. Before intervention, parents completed questionnaires about sociodemographic risk and adverse childhood experiences. At both baseline and follow-up, parents reported depression symptoms and were video-recorded interacting with their infant, which was coded for sensitivity. The ABC intervention predicted significant increases in parental sensitivity and, among parents who completed the intervention, significant decreases in depression symptoms. Changes in parental depression symptoms did not significantly mediate the intervention effects on sensitivity. Risk variables did not moderate the intervention effects. The results indicate that ABC shows promise for improving parent outcomes in community settings, supporting dissemination.
Collapse
|
30
|
Wymbs NF, Orr C, Albaugh MD, Althoff RR, O'Loughlin K, Holbrook H, Garavan H, Montalvo-Ortiz JL, Mostofsky S, Hudziak J, Kaufman J. Social supports moderate the effects of child adversity on neural correlates of threat processing. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2020; 102:104413. [PMID: 32065988 PMCID: PMC8060780 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child abuse and other forms of adversity are associated with alterations in threat processing and emotion regulation brain circuits. OBJECTIVE The goal of the current investigation is to determine if the availability of positive social support can ameliorate the negative impact of adversity on these brain systems. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Subjects included 55 children ages 7-16 (X = 11.8, SD = 2.0). Approximately one-third of the cohort had no significant history of adversity, one-third had a history of moderate adversity, and one-third had a history of severe adversity. Brain imaging was conducted at the University of Vermont using a 3.0 T Philips scanner. METHODS The Emotional Go-NoGo task with fearful and calm facial stimuli was used to assess the neural correlates of threat processing and emotion regulation in children during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Dimensional measures of anxiety, social supports, and children's adverse experiences were also obtained. RESULTS A conjunction analysis was used to test if trauma-related brain activation in responding to fearful vs. calm targets was impacted by social support. This approach identified multiple activation foci, including a cluster extending from the left amygdala to several other key brain regions involved in emotion regulation, including the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), anterior insula, nucleus accumbens, and frontal pole (Family Wise Error (FWE) correction, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Greater social support may reduce the effect that adversity has on neural processing of threat stimuli, consistent with the protective role of positive supports in promoting resilience and recovery demonstrated in the literature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas F Wymbs
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Catherine Orr
- Swinburne University of Technology, John St, Hawthorn, 3122, Australia; Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | - Matthew D Albaugh
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | - Robert R Althoff
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | - Kerry O'Loughlin
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | - Hannah Holbrook
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | | | - Stewart Mostofsky
- Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - James Hudziak
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, UHC Campus, Arnold 3, 1 South Prospect, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | - Joan Kaufman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 1741 Ashland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zajac L, Raby L, Dozier M. Sustained effects on attachment security in middle childhood: results from a randomized clinical trial of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) intervention. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2020; 61:417-424. [PMID: 31677152 PMCID: PMC7135967 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interventions have been developed to promote the development of secure and organized attachments during early childhood among children who have experienced early adversity, yet little is known about whether the effects of these early interventions are sustained beyond 12 months postintervention. The current study examined whether receiving the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) intervention during infancy led to improvements in perceived attachment security in middle childhood among 100 Child Protective Services (CPS)-referred children. METHODS Children and parents were randomized to receive ABC or a control intervention during infancy. Children completed the Kerns Security Scale at age nine (Mage = 9.46, SD = 0.36). (Trial Registry Name: Intervening Early with Neglected Children; Registry ID: NCT02093052; URL for registry: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02093052?term=dozier&rank=1). RESULTS Children whose parents received ABC reported higher levels of attachment security on the Kerns Security Scale at age nine than children whose parents had received the control intervention, t(98) = 2.31, p = .023, d = 0.49. CONCLUSIONS Findings underscore the long-term benefits of intervening early to promote caregiving quality among at-risk families and demonstrate the efficacy of a brief 10-session intervention in promoting attachment security over the span of eight years in a sample of CPS-referred children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Zajac
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Lee Raby
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
The Influence of Maternal Schizotypy on the perception of Facial Emotional Expressions during Infancy: an Event-Related Potential Study. Infant Behav Dev 2020; 58:101390. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
33
|
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Recent research on childhood trauma has focused on the effects of in-utero and early life stress (ELS) as well as improving access to care. This review includes the previous year's clinically relevant research with attention to gaps that require further research that should improve patient care. RECENT FINDINGS The current article focuses on the latest understanding of ELS effects on the neuroendocrine, inflammatory, immune, and neurologic systems, as well as epigenetic effects with a focus on research examining sex-specific differences. Resilience and innovative treatment delivery models are reviewed with emphasis on integrated care models and technology-based treatments. SUMMARY The findings reviewed point toward clinically relevant research avenues. The call for more and better treatment options can only be realized with a better understanding of ELS effects. There is a specific need for more in depth exploration and application of sex-specific differences as well as an examination of the effects of age of onset and chronicity of stressors. New developments in the delivery of interventions and treatment allow the potential to provide broader early access to care.
Collapse
|
34
|
Debnath R, Tang A, Zeanah CH, Nelson CA, Fox NA. The long-term effects of institutional rearing, foster care intervention and disruptions in care on brain electrical activity in adolescence. Dev Sci 2019; 23:e12872. [PMID: 31148302 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to early psychosocial deprivation as a result of institutional care disrupts typical brain development. The Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP) is the first longitudinal study to investigate the neurodevelopment of institutionalized infants randomized to a foster care (FCG) intervention versus care as usual (CAUG). Here, we present findings from a follow-up assessment of brain electrical activity as indexed by resting EEG at age 16 years. In addition, we examined the effects of disruption of foster care placement (e.g. the number of moves among foster care placements) on brain electrical activity. Resting-state EEG was collected from 48 CAUG, 46 FCG and 48 never institutionalized (NIG) control participants. Absolute (µV2 ) and relative (proportion) power were computed from eyes closed, resting EEG data for theta, alpha and beta frequency bands. The CAUG displayed higher relative theta and lower relative alpha power compared to the FCG at 16 years of age. The FCG showed brain activity comparable to the NIG. The results further showed that disruptions following the original foster care placement had an adverse effect on brain electrical activity. Within the foster care group, there were no effects of age of placement on EEG power. Placement of children who have experienced early institutional rearing into stable foster care settings ensure long-term improvement in brain functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ranjan Debnath
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Alva Tang
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Charles H Zeanah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Humphreys KL. Early Caregiving Intervention Holds Promise for Long-term Improvements in Neural Function Following Adversity. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:e15-e16. [PMID: 30665503 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Peng D, Yao Z. Neuroimaging Advance in Depressive Disorder. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1180:59-83. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-32-9271-0_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
|