Prenatal social disadvantage is associated with alterations in functional networks at birth DOI Creative Commons
Ashley N. Nielsen, Regina L. Triplett,

Lourdes M. Bernardez

et al.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 121(50)

Published: Dec. 2, 2024

Childhood exposure to social disadvantage is a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders and poor developmental, educational, occupational outcomes, presumably because adverse exposures alter the neurodevelopmental processes that contribute trajectories. Yet, given limited mobility in United States other countries, childhood frequently preceded by maternal during pregnancy, potentially altering fetal brain development period of high neuroplasticity through hormonal, microbiome, epigenetic, immune factors cross placenta blood–brain barrier. The current study examines prenatal determine whether these utero are associated with alterations functional networks as early birth. As part Early Life Adversity Biological Embedding study, mothers were recruited was assessed across trimesters, their healthy, full-term offspring imaged using resting-state magnetic resonance imaging first weeks life. Multivariate machine learning methods revealed neonatal connectivity (FC) varied function (n = 261, R 0.43, 2 0.18), validation an independent sample. Alterations FC occurred brain-wide most pronounced association (fronto-parietal, ventral attention, dorsal attention) somatomotor network. Amygdala altered at birth, pattern shared subcortical structures. These findings provide critical insights into how begin diverge context elucidate impacted.

Language: Английский

Basic Environmental Supports for Positive Brain and Cognitive Development in the First Year of Life DOI
Joan L. Luby, Max P. Herzberg, Caroline P. Hoyniak

et al.

JAMA Pediatrics, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 178(5), P. 465 - 465

Published: March 18, 2024

Importance Defining basic psychosocial resources to facilitate thriving in the first year of life could tangibly inform policy and enhance child development worldwide. Objective To determine if key environmental supports measured as a thrive factor (T-factor) positively impact brain, cognitive, socioemotional outcomes through age 3. Design, Setting, Participants This prospective longitudinal cohort study took place at Midwestern academic medical center from 2017 2022. included singleton offspring oversampled for those facing poverty, without birth complications, congenital anomalies, or utero substance exposures (except cigarettes marijuana) ascertained prenatally followed up prospectively 3 years life. Data were analyzed March 9, 2023, January 3, 2024. Exposures Varying levels prenatal social disadvantage advantage T-factor composed stimulation, nutrition, neighborhood safety, positive caregiving, sleep. Main & measures Gray white matter brain volumes cortical folding ages 2 years, cognitive language abilities by Bayley-III, internalizing externalizing symptoms Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment. Results The was associated with (β = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.14-0.52), controlling variables including (PSD) maternal abilities. 0.36; 0.24-0.49), but not after covarying PSD. association moderated PSD −0.32; −0.48 −0.15 β −0.36; −0.52 −0.20, respectively). Increases these outcomes, only children mean 1 SD below negatively over above other covariates −0.30; −0.08 −0.55 −0.09, Increasing scores decreases symptoms, mean. gray 0.29; 0.04-0.54), no interaction between T-factor. Conclusions Relevance Findings this suggest that aspects environment critical developmental years. suggests enhancement may every infant’s ability thrive, setting stage more trajectory.

Language: Английский

Citations

13
Prenatal environment is associated with the pace of cortical network development over the first three years of life DOI Creative Commons
Ursula A. Tooley, Aidan Latham, Jeanette K. Kenley

et al.

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: Sept. 11, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

5
Sleep and circadian rhythms during pregnancy, social disadvantage, and alterations in brain development in neonates DOI
Caroline P. Hoyniak, Diana J. Whalen, Joan L. Luby

et al.

Developmental Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 27(3)

Published: Oct. 30, 2023

Abstract Pregnant women in poverty may be especially likely to experience sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances, which have downstream effects on fetal neurodevelopment. However, the associations between social disadvantage during pregnancy, neonatal brain structure remains poorly understood. The current study explored association maternal disturbances pregnancy outcomes, examining as a mediator of effect infant structural outcomes. included 148 mother‐infant dyads, recruited early who had both actigraphy neuroimaging data. Mothers’ was assessed throughout their using actigraphy, neonates underwent magnetic resonance imaging first weeks life. Neonatal outcomes cortical gray matter, subcortical white matter volumes along with measure total surface area cortex. Neonates mothers experienced greater inter‐daily deviations duration smaller reduced areas. higher levels misalignment later timing showed volumes. Inter‐daily mediated Findings highlight importance regularity rhythmicity schedules bring light role chronodisruption potential mechanism underlying deleterious neurodevelopmental prenatal adversity. Research Highlights Social associated including schedules, increased variability duration, misalignment, proportion period spent awake. Maternal were decreased volume neonates. area.

Language: Английский

Citations

11
Associations Between Parenting and Cognitive and Language Abilities at 2 Years of Age Depend on Prenatal Exposure to Disadvantage DOI Creative Commons
Shelby D. Leverett, Rebecca G. Brady, Ursula A. Tooley

et al.

The Journal of Pediatrics, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 276, P. 114289 - 114289

Published: Sept. 2, 2024

ObjectiveTo investigate whether parenting or neonatal brain volumes mediate associations between prenatal social disadvantage (SD) and cognitive/language abilities these mechanisms vary by level of disadvantage.Study designPregnant women were prospectively recruited from obstetric clinics in St Louis, Missouri. Prenatal SD encompassed access to (eg, education) material income-to-needs, health insurance, area deprivation, nutrition) resources during pregnancy. Neonates underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Mother-child dyads (N=202) returned at age 1-year for observations 2-years cognition/language assessments (Bayley-III). Generalized additive mediation models tested hypotheses.ResultsGreater associated nonlinearly with poorer scores. Associations moderated disadvantage, such that supportive non-supportive behaviors related only children lesser SD. Parenting effects differed disadvantage: both mediated SD-cognition/language but not greater disadvantage. SD-associated reductions subcortical grey matter (β=.19, q=.03), white (β=.23, q=.02), total volume (β=.18, q=.03) lower cognition, did cognition.ConclusionsParenting moderates mediates early cognition language, families less These findings, although correlational, suggest there may be a critical threshold below which mediating moderating factors become effective, highlighting the importance reducing as primary prevention.

Language: Английский

Citations

4
Prenatal Adversity and Neonatal Brain Connectivity Relate to Emerging Executive Function at Age 2 Years DOI
Rachel E. Lean, Jeanette K. Kenley, Aidan Latham

et al.

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 1, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Neonatal brain volumes and early parenting behavior as mediators in associations between prenatal social disadvantage and socioemotional problems in toddlers DOI Creative Commons
Shelby D. Leverett,

Olivia Poolos,

Rebecca G. Brady

et al.

Biological Psychiatry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 1, 2025

Social disadvantage has been associated with early socioemotional difficulties. This study examined mechanisms that relate prenatal social (PSD) to the development of problems by testing whether these associations were mediated (1) neonatal brain volumes and/or (2) parenting behaviors. Women recruited in their pregnancies and followed prospectively. PSD encompassed access material (e.g., income-to-needs, health insurance, area deprivation, nutrition, education) resources during pregnancy. Shortly after birth, neonates underwent structural magnetic resonance scanning. Mother-child dyads returned at child age 1 year for observations, parents reported socio-emotional (ITSEA: externalizing, dysregulation, internalizing) 2 years (N=267; 45% female). Simple parallel mediation models tested hypotheses. Greater was increased externalizing dysregulation symptoms years. PSD-associated reductions (cortical grey matter, white total brain) both PSD-externalizing PSD-dysregulation associations. The association additionally behaviors, particularly non-supportive Thus, symptoms, behaviors mediating metrics simultaneously models. Non-supportive remained a significant mediator, while no longer significant. alterations birth may serve as risk factors multidimensional difficulties toddlerhood. However, emerged stronger mediator lending support key intervention targets prevention childhood.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Prenatal Adversity and Neonatal White Matter Microstructure Independently Relate to Language Outcomes at Age 2 Years DOI

Jacob Bjork,

Jeanette K. Kenley, C Gardner

et al.

The Journal of Pediatrics, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 114676 - 114676

Published: May 1, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Structure–function coupling in the first month of life: Associations with age and attention DOI Creative Commons
Ursula A. Tooley, Jeanette K. Kenley, M. Catalina Camacho

et al.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 122(23)

Published: June 2, 2025

How brain structure relates to function is a critical and open question in neuroscience. Here, we characterize regional variation structure–function coupling, capturing the degree which cortical region’s structural connections relate patterns of coordinated neural activity healthy, term-born neonates ( n = 239). Regional coupling heterogeneously patterned across cortex, with higher auditory, lateral prefrontal, inferior parietal cortices. Average negatively associated age during first month life, age-associated decreases seen primary sensory systems, specifically auditory somatomotor regions. Age-associated “decoupling” reflects increasingly segregated functional connectivity integrated white matter age. Notably, after accounting for dorsal attention, cingulo-opercular, visual systems at birth faster visuospatial attention faces one year These results yield valuable insight into development including how interregional life might shape later attention.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
The Association Between Maternal Cortisol and Infant Amygdala Volume Is Moderated by Socioeconomic Status DOI Creative Commons
Max P. Herzberg, Regina L. Triplett, Ronald McCarthy

et al.

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 3(4), P. 837 - 846

Published: March 22, 2023

It has been well established that socioeconomic status is associated with mental and physical health as brain development, emerging data suggesting these relationships begin in utero. However, less known about how prenatal environments interact the gestational environment to affect neonatal volume. Maternal cortisol output measured at each trimester of pregnancy structure were assessed 241 mother-infant dyads. We examined associations between trajectory maternal across volumes receptor–rich regions brain, including amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, caudate. Given effects poverty on infant structure, disadvantage was included a moderating variable. Neonatal amygdala volume predicted by an interaction (standardized β = −0.31, p < .001), controlling for postmenstrual age scan, sex, total gray matter Notably, positively infants scores 1 standard deviation below mean (i.e., disadvantage) (simple slope 123.36, .01), while association negative above more −82.70, .02). Individuals showed no association, there significant interactions other examined. These suggest fetal development differentially affected production varying levels advantage.

Language: Английский

Citations

7
Prenatal environment is associated with the pace of cortical network development over the first three years of life DOI Creative Commons
Ursula A. Tooley, Aidan Latham, Jeanette K. Kenley

et al.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Aug. 21, 2023

Environmental influences on brain structure and function during early development have been well-characterized. In pre-registered analyses, we test the theory that socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with differences in trajectories of intrinsic network from birth to three years (n = 261). Prenatal SES developmental increases cortical segregation, neonates toddlers lower-SES backgrounds showing a steeper increase segregation age, consistent accelerated development. Associations between occur at local scale conform sensorimotor-association hierarchy organization. SES-associated are language abilities two years, such lower improved abilities. These results yield key insight into timing directionality associations environment

Language: Английский

Citations

7