Study protocol: families and childhood transitions study (FACTS) - a longitudinal investigation of the role of the family environment in brain development and risk for mental health disorders in community based children

Family Environment Modulates Linkage of Transdiagnostic Psychiatric Phenotypes and Dissociable Brain Features in the Developing Brain

BACKGROUND

Family environment has long been known for shaping brain function and psychiatric phenotypes, especially during childhood and adolescence. Accumulating neuroimaging evidence suggests that across different psychiatric disorders, common phenotypes may share common neural bases, indicating latent brain-behavior relationships beyond diagnostic categories. However, the influence of family environment on the brain-behavior relationship from a transdiagnostic perspective remains unknown.

METHODS

We included a community-based sample of 699 participants (ages 5-22 years) and applied partial least squares regression analysis to determine latent brain-behavior relationships from whole-brain functional connectivity and comprehensive phenotypic measures. Comparisons were made between diagnostic and nondiagnostic groups to help interpret the latent brain-behavior relationships. A moderation model was introduced to examine the potential moderating role of family factors in the estimated brain-behavior associations.

RESULTS

Four significant latent brain-behavior pairs were identified that reflected the relationship of dissociable brain network and general behavioral problems, cognitive and language skills, externalizing problems, and social dysfunction, respectively. The group comparisons exhibited interpretable variations across different diagnostic groups. A warm family environment was found to moderate the brain-behavior relationship of core symptoms in internalizing disorders. However, in neurodevelopmental disorders, family factors were not found to moderate the brain-behavior relationship of core symptoms, but they were found to affect the brain-behavior relationship in other domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings leveraged a transdiagnostic analysis to investigate the moderating effects of family factors on brain-behavior associations, emphasizing the different roles that family factors play during this developmental period across distinct diagnostic groups.

Investigating Associations Between Maternal Behavior and the Development of Functional Connectivity During the Transition From Late Childhood to Early Adolescence

BACKGROUND

Parenting behavior is thought to affect child brain development, with implications for mental health. However, longitudinal studies that use whole-brain approaches are lacking. In this study, we investigated associations between parenting behavior, age-related changes in whole-brain functional connectivity, and psychopathology symptoms in children and adolescents.

METHODS

Two hundred forty (126 female) children underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at up to two time points, providing a total of 398 scans covering the age range 8 to 13 years. Parenting behavior was self-reported at baseline. Parenting factors (positive parenting, inattentive parenting, and harsh and inconsistent discipline) were identified based on a factor analysis of self-report parenting questionnaires. Longitudinal measures of child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were collected. Network-based R-statistics was used to identify associations between parenting and age-related changes in functional connectivity.

RESULTS

Higher maternal inattentive behavior was associated with lower decreases in connectivity over time, particularly between regions of the ventral attention and default mode networks and frontoparietal and default mode networks. However, this association was not significant after strict correction for multiple comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS

While results should be considered preliminary, they suggest that inattentive parenting may be associated with a reduction in the normative pattern of increased network specialization that occurs with age. This may reflect a delayed development of functional connectivity.

Brain structural and functional signatures of multi-generational family history of suicidal behaviors in preadolescent children

Parent-child transmission of suicidal behaviors has been extensively studied, but the investigation of a three-generation family suicide risk paradigm remains limited. In this study, we aimed to explore the behavioral and brain signatures of multi-generational family history of suicidal behaviors (FHoS) in preadolescents, utilizing a longitudinal design and the dataset from Adolescent Brain and Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®), which comprised 4 years of data and includes a total of 9,653 preadolescents. Our findings revealed that multi-generational FHoS was significantly associated with an increased risk of problematic behaviors and suicidal behaviors (suicide ideation and suicide attempt) in offspring. Interestingly, the problematic behaviors were further identified as a mediator in the multi-generational transmission of suicidal behaviors. Additionally, we observed alterations in brain structure within superior temporal gyrus (STG), precentral/postcentral cortex, posterior parietal cortex (PPC), cingulate cortex (CC), and planum temporale (PT), as well as disrupted functional connectivity of default mode network (DMN), ventral attention network (VAN), dorsal attention network (DAN), fronto-parietal network (FPN), and cingulo-opercular network (CON) among preadolescents with FHoS. These results provide compelling longitudinal evidence at the population level, highlighting the associations between multi-generational FHoS and maladaptive behavioral and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. These findings underscore the need for early preventive measures aimed at mitigating the familial transmission of suicide risk and reducing the global burden of deaths among children and adolescents.

Individual differences in brain structure and self-reported empathy in children

Empathy refers to the understanding and sharing of others' emotions and comprises cognitive and affective components. Empathy is important for social functioning, and alterations in empathy have been demonstrated in many developmental or psychiatric disorders. While several studies have examined associations between empathy and brain structure in adults, few have investigated this relationship in children. Investigating associations between empathy and brain structure during childhood will help us to develop a deeper understanding of the neural correlates of empathy across the lifespan. A total of 125 children (66 females, mean age 10 years) underwent magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. Grey matter volume and cortical thickness from structural images were examined using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) within Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12) software. Children completed questionnaire measures of empathy (cognitive empathy, affective empathy: affective sharing, empathic concern, and empathic distress). In hypothesised region of interest analyses, individual differences in affective and cognitive empathy were related to grey matter volume in the insula and the precuneus. Although these relationships were of similar strength to those found in previous research, they did not survive correction for the total number of models computed. While no significant findings were detected between grey matter volume and empathy in exploratory whole-brain analysis, associations were found between cortical thickness and empathic concern in the right precentral gyrus. This study provides preliminary evidence that individual differences in self-reported empathy in children may be related to aspects of brain structure. Findings highlight the need for more research investigating the neurobiological correlates of empathy in children.

Maternal warmth is associated with network segregation across late childhood: A longitudinal neuroimaging study

The negative impact of adverse experiences in childhood on neurodevelopment is well documented. Less attention however has been given to the impact of variations in “normative” parenting behaviors. The influence of these parenting behaviors is likely to be marked during periods of rapid brain reorganization, such as late childhood. The aim of the current study was to investigate associations between normative parenting behaviors and the development of structural brain networks across late childhood. Data were collected from a longitudinal sample of 114 mother-child dyads (54% female children, M age 8.41 years, SD = 0.32 years), recruited from low socioeconomic areas of Melbourne, Australia. At the first assessment parenting behaviors were coded from two lab-based interaction tasks and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the children were performed. At the second assessment, approximately 18 months later (M age 9.97 years, SD = 0.37 years) MRI scans were repeated. Cortical thickness (CT) was extracted from T1-weighted images using FreeSurfer. Structural covariance (SC) networks were constructed from partial correlations of CT estimates between brain regions and estimates of network efficiency and modularity were obtained for each time point. The change in these network measures, from Time 1 to Time 2, was also calculated. At Time 2, less positive maternal affective behavior was associated with higher modularity (more segregated networks), while negative maternal affective behavior was not related. No support was found for an association between local or global efficacy and maternal affective behaviors at Time 2. Similarly, no support was demonstrated for associations between maternal affective behaviors and change in network efficiency and modularity, from Time 1 to Time 2. These results indicate that normative variations in parenting may influence the development of structural brain networks in late childhood and extend current knowledge about environmental influences on structural connectivity in a developmental context.

Cognitive Decline and BPSD Are Concomitant with Autophagic and Synaptic Deficits Associated with G9a Alterations in Aged SAMP8 Mice

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are presented in 95% of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients and are also associated with neurotrophin deficits. The molecular mechanisms leading to age-related diseases are still unclear; however, emerging evidence has suggested that epigenetic modulation is a key pathophysiological basis of ageing and neurodegeneration. In particular, it has been suggested that G9a methyltransferase and its repressive histone mark (H3K9me2) are important in shaping learning and memory by modulating autophagic activity and synaptic plasticity. This work deepens our understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the loss of cognitive function and BPSD in AD. For this purpose, several tasks were performed to evaluate the parameters of sociability (three-chamber test), aggressiveness (resident intruder), anxiety (elevated plus maze and open field) and memory (novel object recognition test) in mice, followed by the evaluation of epigenetic, autophagy and synaptic plasticity markers at the molecular level. The behavioural alterations presented by senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8) of 12 months of age compared with their senescence-accelerated mouse resistant mice (SAMR1), the healthy control strain was accompanied by age-related cognitive deficits and alterations in epigenetic markers. Increased levels of G9a are concomitant to the dysregulation of the JNK pathway in aged SAMP8, driving a failure in autophagosome formation. Furthermore, lower expression of the genes involved in the memory-consolidation process modulated by ERK was observed in the aged male SAMP8 model, suggesting the implication of G9a. In any case, two of the most important neurotrophins, namely brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) and neurotrophin-3 (NT3), were found to be reduced, along with a decrease in the levels of dendritic branching and spine density presented by SAMP8 mice. Thus, the present study characterizes and provides information regarding the non-cognitive and cognitive states, as well as molecular alterations, in aged SAMP8, demonstrating the AD-like symptoms presented by this model. In any case, our results indicate that higher levels of G9a are associated with autophagic deficits and alterations in synaptic plasticity, which could further explain the BPSD and cognitive decline exhibited by the model.

Associations between cognitive and affective empathy and internalizing symptoms in late childhood

BACKGROUND

Empathy is a multidimensional construct, which includes cognitive and affective components. Studies in adults have demonstrated that both cognitive and affective empathy are associated with anxious and depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine these associations in childhood.

METHODS

Participants were 127 9- and 10-year-old children, recruited from the community. Self-report measures of cognitive and affective empathy, and internalizing symptoms were administered, as well as a task-based measure of cognitive empathy.

RESULTS

Canonical correlation analysis demonstrated that components of affective empathy, specifically affective sharing and empathic distress, were associated with internalizing (particularly social anxiety) symptoms (R_c = 0.63, non-parametric p < .001). Cognitive empathy was not associated with internalizing symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

Most of our findings were based around self-report measures of empathy, which may not accurately reflect empathy ability.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggests that children who share each other's emotions strongly are more likely to experience anxiety, particularly of a social nature.

Towards understanding neurocognitive mechanisms of parenting: Maternal behaviors and structural brain network organization in late childhood

A substantial body of knowledge suggests that exposure to adverse family environments - including violence and neglect - influences many aspects of brain development. Relatively less attention has been directed toward the influence of "normative" differences in parenting behaviors. Given the rapid brain reorganization during late childhood, parenting behaviors are particularly likely to impact the structure of the brain during this time. This study investigated associations between maternal parenting behaviors and the organization of structural brain networks in late childhood, as measured by structural covariance. One hundred and forty-five typically developing 8-year-olds and their mothers completed questionnaire measures and two observed interaction tasks; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained from the children. Measures of maternal negative, positive, and communicative behavior were derived from the interaction tasks. Structural covariance networks based on partial correlations between cortical thickness estimates were constructed and estimates of modularity were obtained using graph theoretical analysis. High levels of negative maternal behavior were associated with low modularity. Minimal support was found for an association between positive maternal behaviors and modularity and between maternal communicative behaviors and modularity. Our findings suggest that variation in negative maternal behavior is associated with the structural organization of brain networks in children.

Structural Brain Development and Aggression: A Longitudinal Study in Late Childhood

This longitudinal study examined the neurodevelopmental correlates of aggression in children, focusing on structural brain properties. A community sample of 110 (60 females) children participated at age 8 years and again at age 10 years. Brain structure was assessed by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and parents reported on child aggression using the Child Behavior Checklist. Analyses examined the relationship between aggression and development of volume of subcortical regions, cortical thickness, and subcortical-cortical structural coupling. Females with relatively high aggression exhibited reduced right hippocampal growth over time. Across males and females, aggression was associated with amygdala- and hippocampal-cortical developmental coupling, with findings for amygdala-cortical coupling potentially indicating reduced top-down prefrontal control of the amygdala in those with increasing aggression over time. Findings suggest that aggressive behaviors may be associated with alterations in normative brain development; however, results were not corrected for multiple comparisons and should be interpreted with caution.

Associations between early life stress and anterior pituitary gland volume development during late childhood

Early Life Stress (ELS) is thought to influence Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Axis (HPAA) functioning, contributing to an increased risk for psychopathology through dysregulation of biological stress responses. Research exploring relationships between ELS and HPAA functioning has largely focused on its key hormonal output, cortisol. However, findings have been inconsistent, potentially due to cortisol's distinctive diurnal patterns and dynamic nature complicating its accurate measurement. Thus, this study explored the link between ELS and a more stable, structural component of the HPAA, specifically, anterior pituitary gland volume (PGV) in a community sample of children (N = 129, 68 female). PGV was traced from Magnetic Resonance Imaging brain scans across two time-points at ages 8 (baseline) and 10 years (follow-up). ELS exposure was assessed at baseline through parent-report questionnaires and maternal affective behavior observed in mother-child interaction tasks. ELS variables were reduced to a 5-factor structure using exploratory factor analysis - Uninvolved Parenting, Negative Affective Parenting, Neglect, Trauma, and Dysfunctional Discipline. Direct and sex-moderated associations between ELS and PGV were explored using regression and linear mixed models analyses. PGV-mediated associations between ELS and internalizing symptoms were also investigated. Childhood Neglect was significantly associated with greater baseline anterior PGV, that was stable over the follow-up period. This effect was found in the whole sample, and in males, specifically. No mediation effects were found. Results suggest that neglect may play a unique role in HPAA neurodevelopment; however, it is important that future research extends into adolescence to more clearly characterize these neurodevelopmental associations and any subsequent psychopathological outcomes.

Editorial: Parenting in Mind: Neurodevelopment and the Influence of Children's Most Profound Relationship

Parenting style, defined as the context of parenting practice,¹ is foundational to research on mother-child relationships because it is observable, amenable to intervention, and influences risk of mental illness in offspring. For example, a recent systematic review demonstrates an association between negative parenting styles and the development of internalizing disorders in children.² Therapies incorporating parenting style are standard treatment for youth with externalizing disorders. Given that the mother-child relationship is ever-present starting before birth and influences mental health, there is keen interest to elucidate the influence of parenting style on children's neurobiological development.

The Influence of Maternal Parenting Style on the Neural Correlates of Emotion Processing in Children

OBJECTIVE

The importance of parenting in influencing mental health outcomes, particularly depression, during childhood and adolescence is well known. However, the mechanisms are unclear. Emotion processing impairments in children are believed to be influenced by negative parenting behaviors and fundamental to depression. As such, investigating the association between parenting behavior and the neural underpinnings of emotion processing in children could provide fundamental clues as to the link between parenting and depression.

METHOD

Eighty-six children (49 girls, mean age 10.1 years), as part of a longitudinal study, participated. Observational measures of maternal behavior were collected during 2 mother-child interactions. Children underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an implicit emotion-processing task, and measures of child internalizing symptoms were collected.

RESULTS

Maternal negative behavior exhibited during an event-planning interaction was associated with decreased activation in the lingual gyrus in girls, whereas maternal negative behavior during a problem-solving interaction was associated with increased amygdala activation in the entire sample during processing of angry and fearful faces. Maternal communicative behavior during the 2 mother-child interactions was associated with increased activity in the bilateral middle orbitofrontal cortex in the entire sample. Negative behavior during the problem-solving interaction was associated with connectivity between the amygdala and superior parietal lobe. Brain activity/connectivity was not related to internalizing symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that, in children, maternal behavior could be associated with activity in brain regions involved in emotion processing. However, more research is needed to elucidate the link among parenting, emotion processing, and depressive symptoms in young people.

Pubertal hormones predict sex-specific trajectories of pituitary gland volume during the transition from childhood to adolescence

Pituitary gland volume (PGV) increases during childhood and adolescence in a sex-specific manner, and previous research suggests that puberty may be associated with PGV development. However, existing research to date has focused on sex hormones associated with gonadarche. Given the role of the pituitary gland in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, the present study investigated associations between PGV development and HPA hormones that play a role in the earlier pubertal phase of adrenarche. Participants were a community sample of 249 children and early adolescents who participated in longitudinal brain imaging and pubertal assessments. Each participant provided data at one or two waves 1.5-3 years apart, resulting in 409 datasets that covered the age range 8-13 years. PGV was estimated from T1-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), its sulfate (DHEA-S) and testosterone were measured from saliva. Estradiol was measured for a subset of females. Parents reported on physical pubertal development. Linear mixed modeling was used to investigate associations between age, pubertal measures and PGV development. DHEA, DHEA-S and testosterone (in addition to physical maturation) explained variance in PGV development over and above age, and in a sex-dependent fashion. In all cases, associations were stronger, or only present in females. Estradiol was associated with PGV in females, but this did not appear to account for adrenarcheal hormone effects. Our findings suggest a key role for the hormones of adrenarche, the first biochemical phase of puberty, in PGV development. Further research is required to understand the sex-specific role of adrenarcheal and gonadarcheal hormones on the PGV across development.

Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms Are Associated With Different Trajectories of Cortical Development During Late Childhood

OBJECTIVE

Investigation of neurobiological differences between internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children is needed to better understand the unique pathophysiology of each, which may ultimately better target treatments and interventions. Longitudinal studies are critical, given the marked brain development that occurs in childhood; however, few such studies exist, and results are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate associations between internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and cortical thinning during late childhood.

METHOD

Participants were 105 children (49 male) from the community, who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, and completed questionnaire measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms at two time points (mean age: 8.4 years at baseline, 10.0 years at follow-up); and, mothers, who reported on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms at both time points. Whole-brain vertex-wise regression analyses were performed to assess associations between change in cortical thickness and symptoms between baseline and follow-up.

RESULTS

Increases in internalizing symptoms over time were associated with reduced thinning in the orbitofrontal cortex, whereas increases in externalizing symptoms were associated with reduced thinning in the postcentral gyrus. The interaction between internalizing and externalizing symptom change was not associated with cortical thinning.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that the development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms are associated with unique neurodevelopmental patterns in late childhood, potentially implicating differential deficits in affective reactivity, emotion regulation, and social cognition. Further research is required to elucidate the implications of these patterns for ongoing brain development, psychopathology, and behavior.

The Biology of Human Resilience: Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience Across the Life Span

Recent scientific and technological advances have brought us closer to being able to apply a true biopsychosocial approach to the study of resilience in humans. Decades of research have identified a range of psychosocial protective factors in the face of stress and trauma. Progress in resilience research is now advancing our understanding of the biology underlying these protective factors at multiple phenotypic levels, including stress response systems, neural circuitry function, and immune responses, in interaction with genetic factors. It is becoming clear that resilience involves active and unique biological processes that buffer the organism against the impact of stress, not simply involve a reversal of pathological mechanisms. Here, we provide an overview of recent progress in the field, highlighting key psychosocial milestones and accompanying biological changes during development, and into adulthood and old age. Continued advances in our understanding of psychological, social, and biological determinants of resilience will contribute to the development of novel interventions and help optimize the type and timing of intervention for those most at risk, resulting in a possible new framework for enhancing resilience across the life span.

Measurement of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and testosterone in the hair of children: Preliminary results and promising indications

Hormone analysis is a valuable tool for understanding how physiology and behavior interact. Cortisol in hair has recently been examined as a measure of longer-term hormone output. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between other androgens in hair and anthropometric measures. In a child sample (n = 114, mean age: 8.5 years, 66 females) levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone were assayed in the 0-3 cm section proximal to scalp. The 3-6 cm segment within a subsample of female participants (n = 35) was examined and compared. Results showed that testosterone strongly correlated with DHEA, and moderately correlated with cortisol (0-3 cm only). Higher hormone concentrations were present in the 3-6 cm segment. Finally, there was a weak positive association between DHEA and height. The replication of previously identified associations between androgens, particularly testosterone-DHEA, and with developmental measures suggests hair may offer a valid method of hormone measurement for DHEA and testosterone.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of Observational Parent-Child Interaction Data

The majority of studies using observational coding systems for family interaction data derive scales describing family members' behaviors based on rational/theoretical approaches. This study explored an empirical approach to identifying the component structure of parent-child observational data that incorporated the affective context of the interaction. Dyads of 155 typically developing 8-year-olds and their mothers completed questionnaires and two interaction tasks, one each designed to illicit positive and negative interactions. Behaviors were coded based on a modified version of the Family Interaction Macro-coding System. Multiple factor analysis identified four-component solutions for the maternal and child data. For both, two of the components included negative behaviors, one positive behavior, and one communicative behavior. Evidence for the validity of the maternal and child components was demonstrated by associations with child depression and anxiety symptoms and behavioral problems. Preliminary evidence supports an empirical approach to identify context-specific components in parent-child observational data.