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King LS, Feddoes DE, Kirshenbaum JS, Humphreys KL, Gotlib IH. Pregnancy during the pandemic: the impact of COVID-19-related stress on risk for prenatal depression. Psychol Med 2023; 53:170-180. [PMID: 33781354 PMCID: PMC8047399 DOI: 10.1017/s003329172100132x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pregnant women may be especially susceptible to negative events (i.e. adversity) related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and negative affective responses to these events (i.e. stress). We examined the latent structure of stress and adversity related to the COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant women, potential antecedents of COVID-19-related stress and adversity in this population, and associations with prenatal depressive symptoms. METHOD We surveyed 725 pregnant women residing in the San Francisco Bay Area in March-May 2020, 343 of whom provided addresses that were geocoded and matched by census tract to measures of community-level risk. We compared their self-reported depressive symptoms to women matched on demographic factors and history of mental health difficulties who were pregnant prior to the pandemic. RESULTS Women who were pregnant during the pandemic were nearly twice as likely to have possible depression than were matched women who were pregnant prior to the pandemic. Individual- and community-level factors tied to socioeconomic inequality were associated with latent factors of COVID-19-related stress and adversity. Beyond objective adversity, subjective stress responses were strongly associated with depressive symptoms during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Highlighting the role of subjective responses in vulnerability to prenatal depression and factors that influence susceptibility to COVID-19-related stress, these findings inform the allocation of resources to support recovery from this pandemic and future disease outbreaks. In addition to policies that mitigate disruptions to the environment due to the pandemic, treatments that focus on cognitions about the self and the environment may help to alleviate depressive symptoms in pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy S. King
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Daisy E. Feddoes
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Kathryn L. Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ian H. Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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2
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Coupling between prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in infants and adults. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101184. [PMID: 36495790 PMCID: PMC9730144 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-regulation is an essential aspect of healthy child development. Even though infants depend on their caregivers for co-regulation during the first years, they begin to gain regulatory abilities through social interactions as well as their own developing agency and inhibitory control. These early regulatory abilities continue to increase with the development of both the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system. Importantly, theoretical accounts have suggested that the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system are linked through forward and backward feedback loops via the limbic system. Decreased coupling within this link is suggested to be associated with psychopathology. The primary goal of this study was to examine whether intrapersonal coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia is evident in infancy. Using the simultaneous assessment of functional near-infrared spectroscopy and electrocardiography, we used Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis to assess the coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in 69 4- to 6-month-old infants and their mothers during a passive viewing condition. However, we did not find significant coupling between the PFC and RSA in infants and adult caregivers. Future studies could examine social contexts associated with greater emotional reactivity to deepen our understanding of the pathways involved in self-regulation.
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Nguyen T, Hoehl S, Bertenthal BI, Abney DH. Coupling between prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in infants and adults. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 53:101047. [PMID: 34933169 PMCID: PMC8703057 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-regulation is an essential aspect of healthy child development. Even though infants are dependent on their caregivers for co-regulation during the first years, they begin to gain early regulatory abilities through social interactions as well as their own cognitive development. These early regulatory abilities continue to increase with the maturation of both the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system. Importantly, theoretical accounts have suggested that the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system are linked through forward and backward feedback loops via the limbic system. Decreased coupling within this link is suggested to be associated with psychopathology. The primary goal of this study is to examine whether intrapersonal coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrythmia is evident in infancy. Using the simultaneous assessment of functional near-infrared spectroscopy and electrocardiography, we will use Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis to assess the coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in 69 4–6-month-old infants and their mothers during rest. Understanding the developmental emergence of the neurobiological correlates of self- regulation will allow us to help identify neurodevelopmental risk factors. In adults, self-regulation involves coupling between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and vagal activity. We investigate whether the coupling of brain and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) activity is evident during infancy. Understanding the developing connection between the PFC and vagal system will help to elucidate the pathways involved in self-regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Bennett I Bertenthal
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, United States.
| | - Drew H Abney
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 110 Hooper Street, Athens, GA 30602, United States.
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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: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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.
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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
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King LS, Querdasi FR, Humphreys KL, Gotlib IH. Dimensions of the language environment in infancy and symptoms of psychopathology in toddlerhood. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13082. [PMID: 33455064 PMCID: PMC8285466 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The quality of the early environment influences the development of psychopathology. Children who are deprived of sufficient environmental enrichment in infancy may be at higher risk for developing symptoms of psychopathology in toddlerhood. In this study, we investigated the prospective association between naturalistic measures of adult language input obtained through passive monitoring of infants' daily environments and emerging psychopathology in toddlerhood. In a sample of 100 mothers and their infants recruited from the community (mean age [range] = 6.73 [5-9] months), we used the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system to measure multiple dimensions of infants' language environments, including both the quantity and consistency of adult speech and conversational turns in infants' daily lives as well as the quantity of infant vocalizations. Subsequently, during toddlerhood (mean age [range] = 18.29 [17-21] months), mothers reported on their children's symptoms of psychopathology. Infants who experienced more consistent adult speech and conversational turns had lower symptoms of psychopathology in toddlerhood, independent of negative emotionality in infancy, maternal depressive symptoms, and laboratory-based measures of maternal sensitivity. These findings have implications for the measurement of environmental factors that may confer risk and resilience to emerging psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy S. King
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | | | - Kathryn L. Humphreys
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Psychology and Human Development, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Ian H. Gotlib
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Copeland A, Silver E, Korja R, Lehtola SJ, Merisaari H, Saukko E, Sinisalo S, Saunavaara J, Lähdesmäki T, Parkkola R, Nolvi S, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ. Infant and Child MRI: A Review of Scanning Procedures. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:666020. [PMID: 34321992 PMCID: PMC8311184 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.666020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe method to examine human brain. However, a typical MR scan is very sensitive to motion, and it requires the subject to lie still during the acquisition, which is a major challenge for pediatric scans. Consequently, in a clinical setting, sedation or general anesthesia is often used. In the research setting including healthy subjects anesthetics are not recommended for ethical reasons and potential longer-term harm. Here we review the methods used to prepare a child for an MRI scan, but also on the techniques and tools used during the scanning to enable a successful scan. Additionally, we critically evaluate how studies have reported the scanning procedure and success of scanning. We searched articles based on special subject headings from PubMed and identified 86 studies using brain MRI in healthy subjects between 0 and 6 years of age. Scan preparations expectedly depended on subject's age; infants and young children were scanned asleep after feeding and swaddling and older children were scanned awake. Comparing the efficiency of different procedures was difficult because of the heterogeneous reporting of the used methods and the success rates. Based on this review, we recommend more detailed reporting of scanning procedure to help find out which are the factors affecting the success of scanning. In the long term, this could help the research field to get high quality data, but also the clinical field to reduce the use of anesthetics. Finally, we introduce the protocol used in scanning 2 to 5-week-old infants in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, and tips for calming neonates during the scans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anni Copeland
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Eero Silver
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Riikka Korja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Satu J. Lehtola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Harri Merisaari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ekaterina Saukko
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Susanne Sinisalo
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jani Saunavaara
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Tuire Lähdesmäki
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Saara Nolvi
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jetro J. Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Borchers LR, Dennis EL, King LS, Humphreys KL, Gotlib IH. Prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms, infant white matter, and toddler behavioral problems. J Affect Disord 2021; 282:465-471. [PMID: 33422824 PMCID: PMC7889716 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal depression is prevalent during and following pregnancy and is related to adverse outcomes in offspring. Perinatal depression is associated with risk for difficulties in offspring; however, the mechanisms underlying this association are not clear. We examined whether maternal prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms were associated with infant white matter organization and with behavioral problems in toddlerhood. METHODS 37 mother-infant dyads (20 male; ages 5.95-7.66 months) participated in this study. We conducted diffusion MRI with infants during natural sleep. Mothers reported on their prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms at six months postpartum. We calculated fractional anisotropy (FA), radial, axial, and mean diffusivity, and assessed offspring behavioral problems at age 18 months. RESULTS Prenatal depressive symptoms were associated with FA of the corpus callosum; postnatal depressive symptoms were not associated with FA of limbic tracts or corpus callosum segmentations. Higher levels of prenatal depressive symptoms were associated with higher FA and lower radial diffusivity of the corpus callosum genu; FA of this region was positively associated with behavioral problems at age 18 months. LIMITATIONS This study had a small sample size; therefore, findings should be replicated. Further, we used retrospective reports of maternal prenatal depression, but validated them in this study. CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms during pregnancy may affect infant corpus callosum development and, in turn, offspring behaviors. These findings suggest that early maternal stress accelerates infant neurodevelopment in a manner that may increase risk for behavioral problems. Thus, efforts to reduce maternal prenatal depression should be a public health priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren R Borchers
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States.
| | - Emily L Dennis
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States; Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, United States
| | - Lucy S King
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, #552, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
| | - Ian H Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
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8
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King LS, Camacho MC, Montez DF, Humphreys KL, Gotlib IH. Naturalistic Language Input is Associated with Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Infancy. J Neurosci 2021; 41:424-434. [PMID: 33257324 PMCID: PMC7821865 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0779-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The quantity and quality of the language input that infants receive from their caregivers affects their future language abilities; however, it is unclear how variation in this input relates to preverbal brain circuitry. The current study investigated the relation between naturalistic language input and the functional connectivity (FC) of language networks in human infancy using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). We recorded the naturalistic language environments of five- to eight-month-old male and female infants using the Linguistic ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system and measured the quantity and consistency of their exposure to adult words (AWs) and adult-infant conversational turns (CTs). Infants completed an rsfMRI scan during natural sleep, and we examined FC among regions of interest (ROIs) previously implicated in language comprehension, including the auditory cortex, the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG). Consistent with theory of the ontogeny of the cortical language network (Skeide and Friederici, 2016), we identified two subnetworks posited to have distinct developmental trajectories: a posterior temporal network involving connections of the auditory cortex and bilateral STG and a frontotemporal network involving connections of the left IFG. Independent of socioeconomic status (SES), the quantity of CTs was uniquely associated with FC of these networks. Infants who engaged in a larger number of CTs in daily life had lower connectivity in the posterior temporal language network. These results provide evidence for the role of vocal interactions with caregivers, compared with overheard adult speech, in the function of language networks in infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy S King
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
| | - M Catalina Camacho
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - David F Montez
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235
| | - Ian H Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
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Camacho MC, Quiñones-Camacho LE, Perlman SB. Does the child brain rest?: An examination and interpretation of resting cognition in developmental cognitive neuroscience. Neuroimage 2020; 212:116688. [PMID: 32114148 PMCID: PMC7190083 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In cognitive neuroscience, measurements of "resting baseline" are often considered stable across age and used as a reference point against which to judge cognitive state. The task-based approach-comparing resting baseline to task conditions-implies that resting baseline is an equalizer across participants and-in the case of studies of developmental changes in cognition-across age groups. In contrast, network neuroscience explicitly examines the development of "resting state" networks across age, at odds with the idea of a consistent resting baseline. Little attention has been paid to how cognition during rest may shift across development, particularly in children under the age of eight. Childhood is marked by striking maturation of neural systems, including a protracted developmental period for cognitive control systems. To grow and shape these cognitive systems, children have a developmental imperative to engage their neural circuitry at every possible opportunity. Thus, periods of "rest" without specific instructions may require additional control for children as they fight against developmental expectation to move, speak, or otherwise engage. We therefore theorize that the child brain does not rest in a manner consistent with the adult brain as longer rest periods may represent increased cognitive control. To shape this theory, we first review the extant literature on neurodevelopment across early childhood within the context of cognitive development. Next, we present nascent evidence for a destabilized baseline for comparisons across age. Finally, we present recommendations for designing, analyzing, and interpreting tasks conducted with young children as well as for resting state. Future work must aim to tease apart the cognitive context under which we examine functional brain development in young children and take considerations into account unique to each age.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Catalina Camacho
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (Neurosciences), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | | | - Susan B Perlman
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (Neurosciences), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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