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Reiss D, Nielsen L, Godfrey K, McEwen B, Power C, Seeman T, Suomi S. Midlife reversibility of early-established biobehavioral risk factors: A research agenda. Dev Psychol 2019; 55:2203-2218. [PMID: 31368762 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological evidence links exposure to early life adversities-such as childhood maltreatment-with impaired health and well-being in adulthood. Since these effects are usually unrecognized or untreated in childhood, preventive and remediating interventions in adults are needed. Our focus on adulthood prompted three major questions. First, does our increased understanding of mechanisms accounting for the long-term effects of early life adversities help delineate underlying dimensions that underscore key similarities and differences among these adversities? Second, can adults accurately report on adversities they experienced in childhood? Third, can we identify malleable risk processes in adulthood that might be targets for preventive intervention? Supported by the National Institute on Aging, the U.K. Economic and Social and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Councils, a network of researchers in human and animal development addressed these questions through meetings and literature review. A small number of dimensions may adequately distinguish among a range of co-occurring childhood adversities. Widely used adult ascertainments of childhood adversity are poorly related to prospective ascertainment. Strategies for preventive interventions should be aimed both at adults who were actually exposed to adversity as well as those who recall adversity, but the targeted risk processes may be different. Now is an opportune time to support research on adult interventions based on unfolding research on critical periods of sensitivity to adversity in fetal and child development, on improved understanding of risk mechanisms that may persist across the life span, and on new insights on enhancing neuroplasticity in adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisbeth Nielsen
- Division of Social and Behavioral Research, National Institute on Aging
| | - Keith Godfrey
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton
| | - Bruce McEwen
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University
| | - Christine Power
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London
| | - Teresa Seeman
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Stephen Suomi
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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102
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Parental influences on neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation. Trends Neurosci Educ 2019; 16:100118. [PMID: 31540673 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2019.100118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Emotional intelligence allows for the recognition and regulation of emotions in the self and others, making it critical for healthy social and emotional development. Research has shown that the parent-child relationship and family environment are influential in the development of emotion regulation, one key component of emotional intelligence. However, the neurobiological processes underlying this relationship have yet to be fully explored. This review examines perspectives from several disciplines to further understand the influence of parent-child interactions on the neurocircuitry shaping emotion regulation. Our proposed model demonstrates how parent-child interactions and parents' emotion regulation neurocircuitry may influence the development of children's own emotion regulation neurocircuitry, with a specific focus on associations among prefrontal regions, the anterior insula, and the amygdala.
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103
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Frick MA, Brocki KC. A multi-factorial perspective on ADHD and ODD in school-aged children: What is the role of cognitive regulation, temperament, and parental support? J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2019; 41:933-945. [DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2019.1641185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matilda A. Frick
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karin C. Brocki
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box, Uppsala, Sweden
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104
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Walsh E, Blake Y, Donati A, Stoop R, von Gunten A. Early Secure Attachment as a Protective Factor Against Later Cognitive Decline and Dementia. Front Aging Neurosci 2019; 11:161. [PMID: 31333443 PMCID: PMC6622219 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The etiology of neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia is complex and incompletely understood. Interest in a developmental perspective to these pathologies is gaining momentum. An early supportive social environment seems to have important implications for social, affective and cognitive abilities across the lifespan. Attachment theory may help to explain the link between these early experiences and later outcomes. This theory considers early interactions between an infant and its caregiver to be crucial to shaping social behavior and emotion regulation strategies throughout adult life. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that such early attachment experiences can, potentially through epigenetic mechanisms, have profound neurobiological and cognitive consequences. Here we discuss how early attachment might influence the development of affective, cognitive, and neurobiological resources that could protect against cognitive decline and dementia. We argue that social relations, both early and late in life, are vital to ensuring cognitive and neurobiological health. The concepts of brain and cognitive reserve are crucial to understanding how environmental factors may impact cognitive decline. We examine the role that attachment might play in fostering brain and cognitive reserve in old age. Finally, we put forward the concept of affective reserve, to more directly frame the socio-affective consequences of early attachment as protectors against cognitive decline. We thereby aim to highlight that, in the study of aging, cognitive decline and dementia, it is crucial to consider the role of affective and social factors such as attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Walsh
- Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yvonne Blake
- Center for Psychiatric Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alessia Donati
- Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ron Stoop
- Center for Psychiatric Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Armin von Gunten
- Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
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105
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Callaghan BL, Gee DG, Gabard-Durnam L, Telzer EH, Humphreys KL, Goff B, Shapiro M, Flannery J, Lumian DS, Fareri DS, Caldera C, Tottenham N. Decreased Amygdala Reactivity to Parent Cues Protects Against Anxiety Following Early Adversity: An Examination Across 3 Years. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 4:664-671. [PMID: 30952600 PMCID: PMC6612442 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human brain remains highly plastic for a protracted developmental period. Thus, although early caregiving adversities that alter amygdala development can result in enduring emotion regulation difficulties, these trajectories should respond to subsequent enriched caregiving. Exposure to high-quality parenting can regulate (i.e., decrease) children's amygdala reactivity, a process that, over the long term, is hypothesized to enhance emotion regulation. We tested the hypothesis that even following adversity, the parent-child relationship would be associated with decreases in amygdala reactivity to parent cues, which would in turn predict lower future anxiety. METHODS Participants were 102 children (6-10 years of age) and adolescents (11-17 years of age), for whom data were collected at one or two time points and who either had experienced institutional care before adoption (n = 45) or had lived always with their biological parents (comparison; n = 57). We examined how amygdala reactivity to visual cues of the parent at time 1 predicted longitudinal change (from time 1 to time 2) in parent-reported child anxiety across 3 years. RESULTS At time 1, on average, amygdala reactivity decrements to parent cues were not seen in children who had received institutional care but were seen in children in the comparison group. However, some children who previously experienced institutional care did show decreased amygdala reactivity to parent cues (∼40%), which was associated with greater child-reported feelings of security with their parent. Amygdala decreases at time 1 were followed by steeper anxiety reductions from time 1 to time 2 (i.e., 3 years). CONCLUSIONS These data provide a neurobiological mechanism by which the parent-child relationship can increase resilience, even in children at significant risk for anxiety symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget L Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York; Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Eva H Telzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Bonnie Goff
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Mor Shapiro
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jessica Flannery
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Eugene, Oregon
| | - Daniel S Lumian
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
| | - Dominic S Fareri
- Department of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York
| | - Christina Caldera
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York
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106
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Gabard-Durnam LJ, McLaughlin KA. Do Sensitive Periods Exist for Exposure to Adversity? Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:789-791. [PMID: 31046937 PMCID: PMC6580180 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.03.975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laurel J Gabard-Durnam
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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107
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Stevens JS, van Rooij SJH, Jovanovic T. Developmental Contributors to Trauma Response: The Importance of Sensitive Periods, Early Environment, and Sex Differences. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 38:1-22. [PMID: 27830573 PMCID: PMC5425320 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2016_38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review considers early factors that interact with development to contribute to later trauma responses, including developmental sensitive periods, the effects of early environment, and the emergence of sex differences. We also describe development of neural substrates that have been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and specifically focus on fear behavior and circuitry. Emerging evidence suggests that there may be developmental shifts around age 10 in these underlying circuits that may contribute to vulnerability. We also discuss age-related changes in the importance of caregiver availability as positive buffering factors. Hormonal changes later in development with onset during puberty appear to further shape development trajectories toward risk or resilience. We highlight these recent findings as well as the great need for further longitudinal research from middle childhood through early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 49 Jesse Hill Jr Dr, Suite 331, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 49 Jesse Hill Jr Dr, Suite 331, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 49 Jesse Hill Jr Dr, Suite 331, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA.
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108
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Moreton E, Baron P, Tiplady S, McCall S, Clifford B, Langley-Evans S, Fone K, Voigt J. Impact of early exposure to a cafeteria diet on prefrontal cortex monoamines and novel object recognition in adolescent rats. Behav Brain Res 2019; 363:191-198. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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109
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Cowan CSM, Stylianakis AA, Richardson R. Early-life stress, microbiota, and brain development: probiotics reverse the effects of maternal separation on neural circuits underpinning fear expression and extinction in infant rats. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 37:100627. [PMID: 30981894 PMCID: PMC6969299 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life stress has pervasive, typically detrimental, effects on physical and mental health across the lifespan. In rats, maternal-separation stress results in premature expression of an adult-like profile of fear regulation that predisposes stressed rats to persistent fear, one of the hallmarks of clinical anxiety. Probiotic treatment attenuates the effects of maternal separation on fear regulation. However, the neural pathways underlying these behavioral changes are unknown. Here, we examined the neural correlates of stress-induced alterations in fear behavior and their reversal by probiotic treatment. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either standard rearing conditions or maternal-separation stress (postnatal days [P] 2–14). Some maternally-separated (MS) animals were also exposed to probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus and L. helveticus) via the maternal drinking water during the period of stress. Using immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that stressed rat pups prematurely exhibit adult-like engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex during fear regulation, an effect that can be prevented using a probiotic treatment. The present results add to the cross-species evidence that early adversity hastens maturation in emotion-related brain circuits. Importantly, our results also demonstrate that the precocious neural maturation in stressed infants is prevented by a non-invasive probiotic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin S M Cowan
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
| | | | - Rick Richardson
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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110
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Opendak M, Sullivan RM. Unique infant neurobiology produces distinctive trauma processing. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100637. [PMID: 30889546 PMCID: PMC6969239 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Trauma experienced in early life has unique neurobehavioral outcomes related to later life psychiatric sequelae. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as critical, with trauma experienced within species-atypical aberrations in caregiving quality as particularly detrimental. Using data from primarily rodent models, we review the literature on the interaction between trauma and attachment in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. Together these data suggest that infant trauma processing and its enduring effects are impacted by both the immaturity of brain areas for processing trauma and the unique functioning of the early-life brain, which is biased towards forming robust attachments regardless of the quality of care. Understanding the critical role of the caregiver in further altering early life brain processing of trauma is important for developing age-relevant treatment and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
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111
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Lebowitz ER, Marin C, Martino A, Shimshoni Y, Silverman WK. Parent-Based Treatment as Efficacious as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Anxiety: A Randomized Noninferiority Study of Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2019; 59:362-372. [PMID: 30851397 PMCID: PMC6732048 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Treatment for childhood anxiety disorders is insufficient in many cases. Parent involvement has been examined to augment child-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), but no studies have compared the efficacy of stand-alone parent-based treatment to CBT. Research implicates family accommodation in the maintenance and course of childhood anxiety. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent-based treatment that reduces accommodation of childhood anxiety. This study compared SPACE to CBT in a noninferiority trial. METHOD Participants were children with primary anxiety disorders (N = 124; 7-14 years of age; 53% female participants; 83% white), randomly assigned to either SPACE (n = 64) with no direct child-therapist contact, or CBT (n = 60) with no parent treatment. A total of 97 participants (78%) completed all treatment sessions and assessments. Attrition did not differ significantly between groups. Primary anxiety outcomes included diagnostic interview and clinician-rated scales. Secondary outcomes included parent and child ratings of anxiety severity, family accommodation, and parenting stress. Noninferiority margins were determined based on statistical and clinical considerations. Change in family accommodation and parenting stress were examined using mixed models analyses. RESULTS SPACE was noninferior, relative to CBT, on primary and secondary anxiety outcomes, and based on ratings provided by independent evaluators, parents, and children. Family accommodation and parenting stress were significantly reduced in both treatments, with significantly greater reduction in family accommodation following SPACE compared to CBT. Treatment credibility and satisfaction were high. CONCLUSION SPACE is an acceptable and efficacious treatment for childhood anxiety disorders, is noninferior to CBT, and provides an alternative strategy for treating anxiety in children. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION Explanatory Clinical Trial of a Novel Parent Intervention for Childhood Anxiety (SPACE); https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02310152.
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112
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Callaghan B, Meyer H, Opendak M, Van Tieghem M, Harmon C, Li A, Lee FS, Sullivan RM, Tottenham N. Using a Developmental Ecology Framework to Align Fear Neurobiology Across Species. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2019; 15:345-369. [PMID: 30786246 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Children's development is largely dependent on caregiving; when caregiving is disrupted, children are at increased risk for numerous poor outcomes, in particular psychopathology. Therefore, determining how caregivers regulate children's affective neurobiology is essential for understanding psychopathology etiology and prevention. Much of the research on affective functioning uses fear learning to map maturation trajectories, with both rodent and human studies contributing knowledge. Nonetheless, as no standard framework exists through which to interpret developmental effects across species, research often remains siloed, thus contributing to the current therapeutic impasse. Here, we propose a developmental ecology framework that attempts to understand fear in the ecological context of the child: their relationship with their parent. By referring to developmental goals that are shared across species (to attach to, then, ultimately, separate from the parent), this framework provides a common grounding from which fear systems and their dysfunction can be understood, thus advancing research on psychopathologies and their treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; , , , .,Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Heidi Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; , ,
| | - Maya Opendak
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University, Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; .,Nathan S. Klein Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA;
| | | | - Chelsea Harmon
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; , , ,
| | - Anfei Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; , ,
| | - Francis S Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; , ,
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University, Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; .,Nathan S. Klein Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA;
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; , , ,
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113
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Kokras N, Sotiropoulos I, Besinis D, Tzouveka EL, Almeida OFX, Sousa N, Dalla C. Neuroplasticity-related correlates of environmental enrichment combined with physical activity differ between the sexes. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 29:1-15. [PMID: 30497839 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.11.1107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE), comprising positive physical (exercise) and cognitive stimuli, influences neuronal structure and usually improves brain function. The promise of EE as a preventative strategy against neuropsychiatric disease is especially high during early postnatal development when the brain is still amenable to reorganization. Despite the fact that male and female brains differ in terms of connectivity and function that may reflect early life experiences, knowledge of the neural substrates and mechanisms by which such changes arise remains limited. This study compared the impact of EE combined with physical activity on neuroplasticity and its functional consequences in adult male and female rats; EE was provided during the first 3 months of life and our analysis focused on the hippocampus, an area implicated in cognitive behavior as well as the neuroendocrine response to stress. Both male and female rats reared in EE displayed better object recognition memory than their control counterparts. Interestingly, sex differences were revealed in the effects of EE on time spent exploring the objects during this test. Independently of sex, EE increased hippocampal turnover rates of dopamine and serotonin and reduced expression of 5-HT1A receptors; in addition, EE upregulated expression of synaptophysin, a presynaptic protein, in the hippocampus. As compared to their respective controls, EE-exposed males exhibited parallel increases in phosphorylated Tau and the GluN2B receptor, whereas females responded to EE with reduced hippocampal levels of glutamate and GluN2B. Together, these observations provide further evidence on the differential effects of EE on markers of hippocampal neuroplasticity in males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, Athens 11527, Greece; First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - I Sotiropoulos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal; Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - D Besinis
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - E L Tzouveka
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, Athens 11527, Greece
| | | | - N Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - C Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, Athens 11527, Greece.
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114
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Gee DG, Bath KG, Johnson CM, Meyer HC, Murty VP, van den Bos W, Hartley CA. Neurocognitive Development of Motivated Behavior: Dynamic Changes across Childhood and Adolescence. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9433-9445. [PMID: 30381435 PMCID: PMC6209847 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1674-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to anticipate and respond appropriately to the challenges and opportunities present in our environments is critical for adaptive behavior. Recent methodological innovations have led to substantial advances in our understanding of the neurocircuitry supporting such motivated behavior in adulthood. However, the neural circuits and cognitive processes that enable threat- and reward-motivated behavior undergo substantive changes over the course of development, and these changes are less well understood. In this article, we highlight recent research in human and animal models demonstrating how developmental changes in prefrontal-subcortical neural circuits give rise to corresponding changes in the processing of threats and rewards from infancy to adulthood. We discuss how these developmental trajectories are altered by experiential factors, such as early-life stress, and highlight the relevance of this research for understanding the developmental onset and treatment of psychiatric disorders characterized by dysregulation of motivated behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520,
| | - Kevin G Bath
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
| | - Carolyn M Johnson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Heidi C Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Vishnu P Murty
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and
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115
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Bernier A, Dégeilh F, Leblanc É, Daneault V, Bailey HN, Beauchamp MH. Mother-Infant Interaction and Child Brain Morphology: A Multidimensional Approach to Maternal Sensitivity. INFANCY 2018; 24:120-138. [DOI: 10.1111/infa.12270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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116
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Social touch during development: Long-term effects on brain and behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:202-219. [PMID: 30278194 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, our goal is to explore what is known about the role of social touch during development. We first address the neural substrates of social touch and the role of tactile experience in neural development. We discuss natural variation in early exposure to social touch, followed by a discussion on experimental manipulations of social touch during development and "natural experiments", such as early institutionalization. We then consider the role of other developmental and experiential variables that predict social touch in adults. Throughout, we propose and consider new theoretical models of the role of social touch during development on later behavior and neurobiology.
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117
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Cowan CSM, Richardson R. Early‐life stress leads to sex‐dependent changes in pubertal timing in rats that are reversed by a probiotic formulation. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 61:679-687. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rick Richardson
- School of Psychology The University of New South Wales Sydney Australia
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Farber MJ, Romer AL, Kim MJ, Knodt AR, Elsayed NM, Williamson DE, Hariri AR. Paradoxical associations between familial affective responsiveness, stress, and amygdala reactivity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 19:645-654. [PMID: 29999382 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies of early life extremes such as trauma, abuse, and neglect highlight the critical importance of quality caregiving in the development of brain circuits supporting emotional behavior and mental health. The impact of normative variability in caregiving on such biobehavioral processes, however, is poorly understood. Here, we provide initial evidence that even subtle variability in normative caregiving maps onto individual differences in threat-related brain function and, potentially, associated psychopathology in adolescence. Specifically, we report that greater familial affective responsiveness is associated with heightened amygdala reactivity to interpersonal threat, particularly in adolescents having experienced relatively low recent stress. These findings extend the literature on the effects of caregiving extremes on brain function to subtle, normative variability but suggest that presumably protective factors may be associated with increased risk-related amygdala reactivity. We consider these paradoxical associations with regard to studies of basic associative threat learning and further consider their relevance for understanding potential effects of caregiving on psychological development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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119
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McCrory EJ. Investigating the Neurocognitive Mechanisms That Influence How Mental Health Risk Can Unfold Following Maltreatment. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2018; 3:579-580. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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120
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Hodel AS. Rapid Infant Prefrontal Cortex Development and Sensitivity to Early Environmental Experience. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2018; 48:113-144. [PMID: 30270962 PMCID: PMC6157748 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Over the last fifteen years, the emerging field of developmental cognitive neuroscience has described the relatively late development of prefrontal cortex in children and the relation between gradual structural changes and children's protracted development of prefrontal-dependent skills. Widespread recognition by the broader scientific community of the extended development of prefrontal cortex has led to the overwhelming perception of prefrontal cortex as a "late developing" region of the brain. However, despite its supposedly protracted development, multiple lines of research have converged to suggest that prefrontal cortex development may be particularly susceptible to individual differences in children's early environments. Recent studies demonstrate that the impacts of early adverse environments on prefrontal cortex are present very early in development: within the first year of life. This review provides a comprehensive overview of new neuroimaging evidence demonstrating that prefrontal cortex should be characterized as a "rapidly developing" region of the brain, discusses the converging impacts of early adversity on prefrontal circuits, and presents potential mechanisms via which adverse environments shape both concurrent and long-term measures of prefrontal cortex development. Given that environmentally-induced disparities are present in prefrontal cortex development within the first year of life, translational work in intervention and/or prevention science should focus on intervening early in development to take advantages of this early period of rapid prefrontal development and heightened plasticity.
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121
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Schermerhorn AC. Children's appraisals of interparental conflict predict event-related potential components. Dev Neuropsychol 2018; 43:235-255. [PMID: 29384398 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2018.1428327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Interparental conflict and neural correlates of children's emotion processing were examined. Event-related potential (ERP) data were collected from 87 children (9-11 years old) with stimuli depicting interpersonal anger, happiness, and neutrality. Three ERP components were modulated by child-reported measures of conflict, reflecting a progression from early sensory attention to cognitive control to stimulus categorization. Negative conflict predicted larger N1 and N2 amplitudes on happy than on angry trials. Greater self-blame for conflict predicted larger N2 amplitudes across emotions and larger P3 amplitudes on angry than on neutral or happy trials. Results suggest conflict-related experiences shape processing of interpersonal emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice C Schermerhorn
- a Department of Psychological Science , University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
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122
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Abstract
Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in youth; however, progress in treatment for childhood anxiety has stalled over the past decade. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project represents a shift toward a dimensional and interdisciplinary approach to psychiatric disorders; this shift can reframe developmental psychopathology for childhood anxiety and facilitate novel advances in its classification and treatment. Here we highlight constructs in the Systems for Social Processes and the Negative Valence System domains of RDoC, as they relate to childhood anxiety disorders. Childhood anxiety relates to both RDoC domains. In terms of social processes, through natural reliance on parents to reduce children's fear, attachment represents one particular social process, which plays a central role in anxiety among youth. In terms of negative valence, considerable research links threat conditioning to pediatric anxiety. Finally, fronto-amygdala circuitry relates to all three entities, as it has been shown to underly both attachment processes and threat learning, while it also has been consistently implicated in anxiety disorders across development. Through integrative and translational approaches, RDoC provides unique opportunities and simultaneous challenges for advancing the understanding and treatment of childhood anxiety disorders.
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123
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Tottenham N. The Fundamental Role of Early Environments to Developing an Emotionally Healthy Brain. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/2372732217745098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The quality of early socioemotional environments has a clear link to emotional health. Findings from neuroscientific and behavioral studies explain this enduring link, and findings focus on the plasticity of emotional brain development. Implications include (a) prioritizing individuals as early as possible and throughout development, (b) remaining mindful that stable caregiving is a basic need for children, and (c) supporting children’s emotional development which means supporting their families. Addressing these needs is a large task, but not addressing these needs confers an even larger mental health cost to the individual as well as to society more broadly.
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124
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Fareri DS, Gabard-Durnam L, Goff B, Flannery J, Gee DG, Lumian DS, Caldera C, Tottenham N. Altered ventral striatal-medial prefrontal cortex resting-state connectivity mediates adolescent social problems after early institutional care. Dev Psychopathol 2017; 29:1865-1876. [PMID: 29162189 PMCID: PMC5957481 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579417001456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Early caregiving adversity is associated with increased risk for social difficulties. The ventral striatum and associated corticostriatal circuitry, which have demonstrated vulnerability to early exposures to adversity, are implicated in many aspects of social behavior, including social play, aggression, and valuation of social stimuli across development. Here, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the degree to which early caregiving adversity was associated with altered coritocostriatal resting connectivity in previously institutionalized youth (n = 41) relative to youth who were raised with their biological families from birth (n = 47), and the degree to which this connectivity was associated with parent-reported social problems. Using a seed-based approach, we observed increased positive coupling between the ventral striatum and anterior regions of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in previously institutionalized youth. Stronger ventral striatum-mPFC coupling was associated with parent reports of social problems. A moderated-mediation analysis showed that ventral striatal-mPFC connectivity mediated group differences in social problems, and more so with increasing age. These findings show that early institutional care is associated with differences in resting-state connectivity between the ventral striatum and the mPFC, and this connectivity seems to play an increasingly important role in social behaviors as youth enter adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic S. Fareri
- Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530
| | | | - Bonnie Goff
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Jessica Flannery
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Daniel S. Lumian
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208
| | - Christina Caldera
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
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125
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Abstract
In this paper, we argue that prefrontal cortex ontogenetic functional development is best understood through an ecological lens. We first begin by reviewing evidence supporting the existing consensus that PFC structural and functional development is protracted based on maturational constraints. We then examine recent findings from neuroimaging studies in infants, early life stress research, and connectomics that support the novel hypothesis that PFC functional development is driven by reciprocal processes of neural adaptation and niche construction. We discuss implications and predictions of this model for redefining the construct of executive functions and for informing typical and atypical child development. This ecological account of PFC functional development moves beyond descriptions of development that are characteristic of existing frameworks, and provides novel insights into the mechanisms of developmental change, including its catalysts and influences. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M Werchan
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University
| | - Dima Amso
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University
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126
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McLaughlin KA, Sheridan MA, Nelson CA. Neglect as a Violation of Species-Expectant Experience: Neurodevelopmental Consequences. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 82:462-471. [PMID: 28392082 PMCID: PMC5572554 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.02.1096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The human brain requires a wide variety of experiences and environmental inputs in order to develop normally. Children who are neglected by caregivers or raised in institutional environments are deprived of numerous types of species-expectant environmental experiences. In this review, we articulate a model of how the absence of cognitive stimulation and sensory, motor, linguistic, and social experiences common among children raised in deprived early environments constrains early forms of learning, producing long-term deficits in complex cognitive function and associative learning. Building on evidence from animal models, we propose that deprivation accelerates the neurodevelopmental process of synaptic pruning and limits myelination, resulting in age-specific reductions in cortical thickness and white matter integrity among children raised in deprived early environments. We review evidence linking early experiences of psychosocial deprivation to reductions in cognitive ability, associative and implicit learning, language skills, and executive functions as well as atypical patterns of cortical and white matter development-domains that should be profoundly influenced by deprivation through the learning and neural mechanisms we propose. These patterns of atypical development are difficult to explain with existing models that emphasize stress pathways and accelerated limbic system development. A learning account of how deprived early environments influence cognitive and neural development provides a complementary perspective to stress models and highlights novel pathways through which deprivation might confer risk for internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. We end by reviewing evidence for plasticity in cognitive and neural development among children raised in deprived environments following interventions that improve caregiving quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie A McLaughlin
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
| | - Margaret A Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Division of Developmental Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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127
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Gard AM, Waller R, Shaw DS, Forbes EE, Hariri AR, Hyde LW. The long reach of early adversity: Parenting, stress, and neural pathways to antisocial behavior in adulthood. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2017; 2:582-590. [PMID: 29170760 PMCID: PMC5695704 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early life adversities including harsh parenting, maternal depression, neighborhood deprivation, and low family economic resources are more prevalent in low-income urban environments and are potent predictors of psychopathology, including, for boys, antisocial behavior (AB). However, little research has examined how these stressful experiences alter later neural function. Moreover, identifying genetic markers of greater susceptibility to adversity is critical to understanding biopsychosocial pathways from early adversity to later psychopathology. METHODS Within a sample of 310 low-income boys followed from age 1.5 to 20, multimethod assessments of adversities were examined at age 2 and age 12. At age 20, amygdala reactivity to emotional facial expressions was assessed using fMRI, and symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder were assessed via structured clinical interview. Genetic variability in cortisol signaling (CRHR1) was examined as a moderator of pathways to amygdala reactivity. RESULTS Observed parenting and neighborhood deprivation at age 2 each uniquely predicted amygdala reactivity to emotional faces at age 20 over and above other adversities measured at multiple developmental periods. Harsher parenting and greater neighborhood deprivation in toddlerhood predicted clinically-significant symptoms of AB via less amygdala reactivity to fearful facial expressions and this pathway was moderated by genetic variation in CRHR1. CONCLUSIONS These results elucidate a pathway linking early adversity to less amygdala reactivity to social signals of interpersonal distress 18 years later, which in turn increased risk for serious AB. Moreover, these findings suggest a genetic marker of youth more susceptible to adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna M Gard
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Rebecca Waller
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Daniel S Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Erika E Forbes
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Ahmad R Hariri
- Laboratory of NeuroGenetics, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Luke W Hyde
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- Center for Human Growth and Development & Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
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128
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Kim JH. Reducing Fear During Childhood to Prevent Anxiety Disorders Later: Insights From Developmental Psychobiology. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/2372732217719544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are neurodevelopmental with the median age of onset 10 to 11 years, but developmental processes underlying fear and anxiety are rarely investigated. In the last decade, however, developmental rodent studies have increased our understanding of how to treat and prevent the persistence of anxiety. Behavioral findings from rodent studies match the observations in anxious children, and the neural and molecular findings help explain why anxiety disorders are indeed neurodevelopmental. Extinction processes that are involved in cognitive-behavioral therapy appear particularly effective in children compared with older populations. Policy should mandate school psychologists and government subsidies for therapy sessions to increase children’s mental-health-service utilization. Funding bodies also should challenge anxiety studies exclusively targeting adults to include younger people to investigate why anxiety disorders are developmental disorders and focus more on preventing their persistence later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jee Hyun Kim
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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129
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Maheu ME, Ressler KJ. Developmental pathway genes and neural plasticity underlying emotional learning and stress-related disorders. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 24:492-501. [PMID: 28814475 PMCID: PMC5580529 DOI: 10.1101/lm.044271.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The manipulation of neural plasticity as a means of intervening in the onset and progression of stress-related disorders retains its appeal for many researchers, despite our limited success in translating such interventions from the laboratory to the clinic. Given the challenges of identifying individual genetic variants that confer increased risk for illnesses like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, some have turned their attention instead to focusing on so-called “master regulators” of plasticity that may provide a means of controlling these potentially impaired processes in psychiatric illnesses. The mammalian homolog of Tailless (TLX), Wnt, and the homeoprotein Otx2 have all been proposed to constitute master regulators of different forms of plasticity which have, in turn, each been implicated in learning and stress-related disorders. In the present review, we provide an overview of the changing distribution of these genes and their roles both during development and in the adult brain. We further discuss how their distinct expression profiles provide clues as to their function, and may inform their suitability as candidate drug targets in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa E Maheu
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA
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130
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Ellis BJ, Bianchi J, Griskevicius V, Frankenhuis WE. Beyond Risk and Protective Factors: An Adaptation-Based Approach to Resilience. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2017; 12:561-587. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691617693054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
How does repeated or chronic childhood adversity shape social and cognitive abilities? According to the prevailing deficit model, children from high-stress backgrounds are at risk for impairments in learning and behavior, and the intervention goal is to prevent, reduce, or repair the damage. Missing from this deficit approach is an attempt to leverage the unique strengths and abilities that develop in response to high-stress environments. Evolutionary-developmental models emphasize the coherent, functional changes that occur in response to stress over the life course. Research in birds, rodents, and humans suggests that developmental exposures to stress can improve forms of attention, perception, learning, memory, and problem solving that are ecologically relevant in harsh-unpredictable environments (as per the specialization hypothesis). Many of these skills and abilities, moreover, are primarily manifest in currently stressful contexts where they would provide the greatest fitness-relevant advantages (as per the sensitization hypothesis). This perspective supports an alternative adaptation-based approach to resilience that converges on a central question: “What are the attention, learning, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making strategies that are enhanced through exposures to childhood adversity?” At an applied level, this approach focuses on how we can work with, rather than against, these strengths to promote success in education, employment, and civic life.
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131
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Tottenham N. The Brain's Emotional Development. CEREBRUM : THE DANA FORUM ON BRAIN SCIENCE 2017; 2017:cer-08-17. [PMID: 30210657 PMCID: PMC6132040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
From our earliest days, the brain rapidly develops thinking, mobility, and communication skills. But not quite as quick to develop are the parts of the brain that regulate and process our emotions. New research is helping scientists learn about areas that are crucial to emotional development, and how our surroundings fit into the picture. The findings could have far-reaching implications for both parents and policy-makers.
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132
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Tottenham N, Gabard-Durnam LJ. The developing amygdala: a student of the world and a teacher of the cortex. Curr Opin Psychol 2017; 17:55-60. [PMID: 28950973 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function subserving emotional behavior has largely been examined from the perspective of their adult roles, with a tremendous focus on the regulatory influence of the PFC over amygdala activity. Here we consider the circuit's function in its developmental context, when maximal learning about emotion and incentives from the environment is necessary. We argue that during development the amygdala exhibits an overwhelming influence over the developmental destiny of circuitry function, and the amygdala's learning and experiential history are conveyed to the cortex to modulate subsequent PFC development. We present recent findings on the different developmental trajectories of the amygdala and PFC, their functional connectivity, and the timing of environmental influences as evidence supporting our position.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nim Tottenham
- Columbia University, Department of Psychology, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Laurel J Gabard-Durnam
- Harvard University/Boston Children's Hospital, Division of Developmental Medicine, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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133
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Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences can deleteriously affect future physical and mental health, increasing risk for many illnesses, including psychiatric problems, sleep disorders, and, according to the present hypothesis, idiopathic nightmares. Much like post-traumatic nightmares, which are triggered by trauma and lead to recurrent emotional dreaming about the trauma, idiopathic nightmares are hypothesized to originate in early adverse experiences that lead in later life to the expression of early memories and emotions in dream content. Accordingly, the objectives of this paper are to (1) review existing literature on sleep, dreaming and nightmares in relation to early adverse experiences, drawing upon both empirical studies of dreaming and nightmares and books and chapters by recognized nightmare experts and (2) propose a new approach to explaining nightmares that is based upon the Stress Acceleration Hypothesis of mental illness. The latter stipulates that susceptibility to mental illness is increased by adversity occurring during a developmentally sensitive window for emotional maturation—the infantile amnesia period—that ends around age 3½. Early adversity accelerates the neural and behavioral maturation of emotional systems governing the expression, learning, and extinction of fear memories and may afford short-term adaptive value. But it also engenders long-term dysfunctional consequences including an increased risk for nightmares. Two mechanisms are proposed: (1) disruption of infantile amnesia allows normally forgotten early childhood memories to influence later emotions, cognitions and behavior, including the common expression of threats in nightmares; (2) alterations of normal emotion regulation processes of both waking and sleep lead to increased fear sensitivity and less effective fear extinction. These changes influence an affect network previously hypothesized to regulate fear extinction during REM sleep, disruption of which leads to nightmares. This network consists of a fear circuit that includes amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex and whose substantial overlap with the stress acceleration findings allows the latter to be incorporated into a wider, more developmentally coherent framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tore Nielsen
- Dream and Nightmare Laboratory, Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM - Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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134
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Insensitive parenting may accelerate the development of the amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex circuit. Dev Psychopathol 2017; 29:505-518. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579417000141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThis study examined whether the association between age and amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connectivity in typically developing 6- to 10-year-old children is correlated with parental care. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 124 children of the Generation R Study who at 4 years old had been observed interacting with their parents to assess maternal and paternal sensitivity. Amygdala functional connectivity was assessed using a general linear model with the amygdalae time series as explanatory variables. Higher level analyses assessing Sensitivity × Age as well as exploratory Sensitivity × Age × Gender interaction effects were performed restricted to voxels in the mPFC. We found significant Sensitivity × Age interaction effects on amygdala–mPFC connectivity. Age was related to stronger amygdala–mPFC connectivity in children with a lower combined parental sensitivity score (b = 0.11, p = .004, b = 0.06, p = .06, right and left amygdala, respectively), but not in children with a higher parental sensitivity score, (b = –0.07, p = .12, b = –0.06, p = .12, right and left amygdala, respectively). A similar effect was found for maternal sensitivity, with stronger amygdala–mPFC connectivity in children with less sensitive mothers. Exploratory (parental, maternal, paternal) Sensitivity × Age × Gender interaction analyses suggested that this effect was especially pronounced in girls. Amygdala-mPFC resting-state functional connectivity has been shown to increase from age 10.5 years onward, implying that the positive association between age and amygdala–mPFC connectivity in 6- to 10-year-old children of less sensitive parents represents accelerated development of the amygdala–mPFC circuit.
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135
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Gee DG. Sensitive Periods of Emotion Regulation: Influences of Parental Care on Frontoamygdala Circuitry and Plasticity. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2017; 2016:87-110. [PMID: 27589500 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Early caregiving experiences play a central role in shaping emotional development, stress physiology, and refinement of limbic circuitry. Converging evidence across species delineates a sensitive period of heightened neuroplasticity when frontoamygdala circuitry is especially amenable to caregiver inputs early in life. During this period, parental buffering regulates emotional behaviors and stress physiology as emotion regulation circuitry continues to mature. By contrast, disorganized or poor quality caregiving has profound and lasting consequences on the maturation of frontoamygdala circuitry essential for emotion regulation, even following termination of this early life stressor (e.g., adoption from orphanage). This article highlights how interactions between caregiving experiences and the biological state of the developing brain have broad implications for long-term health.
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136
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Hostinar CE, Nusslock R, Miller GE. Future Directions in the Study of Early-Life Stress and Physical and Emotional Health: Implications of the Neuroimmune Network Hypothesis. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 47:142-156. [PMID: 28107039 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2016.1266647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Early-life stress is associated with increased vulnerability to physical and emotional health problems across the lifespan. The recently developed neuroimmune network hypothesis proposes that one of the underlying mechanisms for these associations is that early-life stress amplifies bidirectional crosstalk between the brain and the immune system, contributing to several mental and physical health conditions that have inflammatory underpinnings, such as depression and coronary heart disease. Neuroimmune crosstalk is thought to perpetuate inflammation and neural alterations linked to early-life stress exposure, and also foster behaviors that can further compromise health, such as smoking, drug abuse and consumption of high-fat diets. The goal of the present review is to briefly summarize the neuroimmune network hypothesis and use it as a starting point for generating new questions about the role of early-life stress in establishing a dysregulated relationship between neural and immune signaling, with consequences for lifespan physical and emotional health. Specifically, we aim to discuss implications and future directions for theory and empirical research on early-life stress, as well as for interventions that may improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents living in adverse conditions.
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137
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Effects of a Home-Based Family-Centred Early Habilitation Program on Neurobehavioural Outcomes of Very Preterm Born Infants: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Neural Plast 2017; 2016:4323792. [PMID: 28090357 PMCID: PMC5206446 DOI: 10.1155/2016/4323792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Preterm children have an increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairments which include psychomotor and language retardation. The objectives of the present retrospective cohort study were to examine the effects of an individually adapted, home-based, and family-centred early developmental habilitation program on neurodevelopmental and behavioural outcomes of very preterm children compared with a standard follow-up at 2 years' corrected age. Enrolled infants were retrospectively assigned to the intervention group (61 subjects) or to the control group (62 subjects) depending on whether they had or had not carried out a home-based family-centred early developmental habilitation program focused on environmental enrichment, parent-guided environmental interaction, and infant development. Developmental outcome was assessed for both groups at 24 months' corrected age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development 2nd Edition. Intervention significantly improved both cognitive and behavioural outcomes. In addition, males had significantly lower scores than females either before or after treatment. However, the treatment was effective in both genders to the same extent. In conclusion, a timely updated environment suitable to the infant's developmental needs could provide the best substrate where the parent-infant relationship can be practised with the ultimate goal of achieving further developmental steps.
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138
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Yan CG, Rincón-Cortés M, Raineki C, Sarro E, Colcombe S, Guilfoyle DN, Yang Z, Gerum S, Biswal BB, Milham MP, Sullivan RM, Castellanos FX. Aberrant development of intrinsic brain activity in a rat model of caregiver maltreatment of offspring. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1005. [PMID: 28094810 PMCID: PMC5545736 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Caregiver maltreatment induces vulnerability to later-life psychopathology. Clinical and preclinical evidence suggest changes in prefrontal and limbic circuitry underlie this susceptibility. We examined this question using a rat model of maternal maltreatment and methods translated from humans, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI). Rat pups were reared by mothers provided with insufficient or abundant bedding for nest building from postnatal (PN) days 8 to 12 and underwent behavioral assessments of affect-related behaviors (forced swim, sucrose preference and social interaction) in adolescence (PN45) and early adulthood (PN60). R-fMRI sessions were conducted under light anesthesia at both ages. Offspring reared with insufficient bedding (that is, maltreated) displayed enduring negative affective behaviors. Amygdala-prefrontal cortex (PFC) functional connectivity increased significantly from adolescence to adulthood in controls, but not in maltreated animals. We computed the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), an index of intrinsic brain activity, and found that fALFF in medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (MPFC/ACC) increased significantly with age in controls but remained unchanged in maltreated animals during adolescence and adulthood. We used a seed-based analysis to explore changes in functional connectivity between this region and the whole brain. Compared with controls, maltreated animals demonstrated reduced functional connectivity between MPFC/ACC and left caudate/putamen across both ages. Functional connectivity between MPFC/ACC and right caudate/putamen showed a group by age interaction: decreased in controls but increased in maltreated animals. These data suggest that maltreatment induces vulnerability to psychopathology and is associated with differential developmental trajectories of prefrontal and subcortical circuits underlying affect regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C-G Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China,Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Center, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - M Rincón-Cortés
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,The Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - C Raineki
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,The Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - E Sarro
- The Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - S Colcombe
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - D N Guilfoyle
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Z Yang
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA,Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - S Gerum
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - B B Biswal
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - M P Milham
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA,Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - R M Sullivan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,The Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA. E-mail: or
| | - F X Castellanos
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA. E-mail: or
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139
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Abstract
Altricial infants (i.e., requiring parental care for survival), such as humans and rats, form an attachment to their caregiver and receive the nurturing and protections needed for survival. Learning has a strong role in attachment, as is illustrated by strong attachment formed to non-biological caregivers of either sex. Here we summarize and integrate results from animal and human infant attachment research that highlights the important role of social buffering (social presence) of the stress response by the attachment figure and its effect on infant processing of threat and fear through modulation of the amygdala. Indeed, this work suggests the caregiver switches off amygdala function in rodents, although recent human research suggests a similar process in humans and nonhuman primates. This cross-species analysis helps provide insight and unique understanding of attachment and its role in the neurobiology of infant behavior within attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Child Study Center, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center
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140
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Zhao Y, Du M, Gao X, Xiao Y, Shah C, Sun H, Chen F, Yang L, Yan Z, Fu Y, Lui S. Altered brain network topology in left-behind children: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2016; 62:89-99. [PMID: 27794245 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Whether a lack of direct parental care affects brain function in children is an important question, particularly in developing countries where hundreds of millions of children are left behind when their parents migrate for economic or political reasons. In this study, we investigated changes in the topological architectures of brain functional networks in left-behind children (LBC). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained from 26 LBC and 21 children living within their nuclear family (non-LBC). LBC showed a significant increase in the normalized characteristic path length (λ), suggesting a decrease in efficiency in information access, and altered nodal centralities in the fronto-limbic regions and motor and sensory systems. Moreover, a decreased nodal degree and the nodal betweenness of the right rectus gyrus were positively correlated with annual family income. The present study provides the first empirical evidence that suggests that a lack of direct parental care could affect brain functional development in children, particularly involving emotional networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youjin Zhao
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China; Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Meimei Du
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China
| | - Xin Gao
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China; Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Yuan Xiao
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Chandan Shah
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Huaiqiang Sun
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Fuqin Chen
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Lili Yang
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China
| | - Zhihan Yan
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China
| | - Yuchuan Fu
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China
| | - Su Lui
- Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang 325035, PR China; Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China.
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141
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Piccolo LDR, Segabinazi JD, Falceto OG, Fernandes CLC, Bandeira DR, Trentini CM, Hutz CS, Salles JF. Developmental delay in early childhood is associated with visual-constructive skills at school age in a Brazilian cohort. PSICOLOGIA-REFLEXAO E CRITICA 2016. [DOI: 10.1186/s41155-016-0048-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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142
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Martin RE, Ochsner KN. The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation Development: Implications for Education. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2016; 10:142-148. [PMID: 27822488 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Emotion regulation is a critical life skill that can facilitate learning and improve educational outcomes. Developmental studies find that the ability to regulate emotion improves with age. In neuroimaging studies, emotion regulation abilities are associated with recruitment of a set of prefrontal brain regions involved in cognitive control and executive functioning that mature late in development. In this review we discuss the regulation of both negative and positive emotions, the role of other people in guiding our emotional responses, and the potential applications of this work to education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Martin
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 1190 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10027
| | - Kevin N Ochsner
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 1190 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10027
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143
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Hortensius R, Terburg D, Morgan B, Stein DJ, van Honk J, de Gelder B. The dynamic consequences of amygdala damage on threat processing in Urbach-Wiethe Disease. A commentary on Pishnamazi et al. (2016). Cortex 2016; 88:192-197. [PMID: 27531670 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruud Hortensius
- Brain and Emotion Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - David Terburg
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa; Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Barak Morgan
- Global Risk Governance Program, Department of Public Law and Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, DVC Research Office, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jack van Honk
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa; Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Beatrice de Gelder
- Brain and Emotion Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
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144
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Schriber RA, Guyer AE. Adolescent neurobiological susceptibility to social context. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2016; 19:1-18. [PMID: 26773514 PMCID: PMC4912893 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2015.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2014] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence has been characterized as a period of heightened sensitivity to social contexts. However, adolescents vary in how their social contexts affect them. According to neurobiological susceptibility models, endogenous, biological factors confer some individuals, relative to others, with greater susceptibility to environmental influences, whereby more susceptible individuals fare the best or worst of all individuals, depending on the environment encountered (e.g., high vs. low parental warmth). Until recently, research guided by these theoretical frameworks has not incorporated direct measures of brain structure or function to index this sensitivity. Drawing on prevailing models of adolescent neurodevelopment and a growing number of neuroimaging studies on the interrelations among social contexts, the brain, and developmental outcomes, we review research that supports the idea of adolescent neurobiological susceptibility to social context for understanding why and how adolescents differ in development and well-being. We propose that adolescent development is shaped by brain-based individual differences in sensitivity to social contexts - be they positive or negative - such as those created through relationships with parents/caregivers and peers. Ultimately, we recommend that future research measure brain function and structure to operationalize susceptibility factors that moderate the influence of social contexts on developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta A Schriber
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, United States.
| | - Amanda E Guyer
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California, United States; Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States.
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145
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van Rooij SJH, Cross D, Stevens JS, Vance LA, Kim YJ, Bradley B, Tottenham N, Jovanovic T. Maternal buffering of fear-potentiated startle in children and adolescents with trauma exposure. Soc Neurosci 2016; 12:22-31. [PMID: 27056324 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1164244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Parental availability influences fear expression and learning across species, but the effect of maternal buffering on fear learning in humans is unknown. Here we investigated the effect of maternal availability during fear conditioning in a group of children (ages 8-10) and adolescents (ages 11-13) from a low-income population with a range of trauma exposure. Acoustic startle response data were collected to measure fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in 104 participants. A total of 62 participants were tested with the mother available and 42 when the mother was not in the testing room. We observed that maternal availability during fear conditioning interacted with age to affect FPS discrimination between CS+ and CS-. In line with previous findings suggesting an absence of maternal buffering in adolescents, fear discrimination was affected by maternal availability only in children. Second, we observed that the effect of maternal buffering on FPS discrimination in children was not influenced by maternally reported warmth. In conclusion, we demonstrated that maternal availability improved discrimination in children, regardless of the quality of the relationship. Adolescents discriminated irrespective of maternal status, suggesting that childhood may be a sensitive period for environmental influences on key processes such as learning of danger and safety signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne J H van Rooij
- a Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Dorthie Cross
- a Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- a Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - L Alexander Vance
- a Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Ye Ji Kim
- a Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Bekh Bradley
- b Atlanta VA Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Decatur , GA , USA
| | - Nim Tottenham
- c Department of Psychology , Colombia University , New York , NY , USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- a Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta , GA , USA
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146
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147
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Opendak M, Sullivan RM. Unique neurobiology during the sensitive period for attachment produces distinctive infant trauma processing. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2016; 7:31276. [PMID: 27837581 PMCID: PMC5106868 DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v7.31276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trauma has neurobehavioral effects when experienced at any stage of development, but trauma experienced in early life has unique neurobehavioral outcomes related to later life psychiatric sequelae. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as a critical variable in determining its immediate and enduring consequences. Trauma experienced from an attachment figure, such as occurs in cases of caregiver child maltreatment, is particularly detrimental. METHODS Using data primarily from rodent models, we review the literature on the interaction between trauma and attachment in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. We then consider how trauma with and without the caregiver produces long-term changes in emotionality and behavior, and suggest that these experiences initiate distinct pathways to pathology. RESULTS Together these data suggest that infant trauma processing and its enduring effects are impacted by both the immaturity of brain areas for processing trauma and the unique functioning of the early-life brain, which is biased toward processing information within the attachment circuitry. CONCLUSION An understanding of developmental differences in trauma processing as well as the critical role of the caregiver in further altering early life brain processing of trauma is important for developing age-relevant treatment and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.,Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA;
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.,Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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148
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Callaghan BL, Tottenham N. The Stress Acceleration Hypothesis: Effects of early-life adversity on emotion circuits and behavior. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015; 7:76-81. [PMID: 29644262 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 313] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The importance of early experiences for mental health across the lifespan is well recognized. In particular, there is a strong association between adverse caregiving experiences and mental illness. However, relative to studies assessing outcomes in adults, there are far fewer studies assessing the earlier emerging manifestations of caregiving adversity during development. This lack of developmental research limits an understanding of the mechanisms that link adversity with mental illness. Adoption of a developmental approach to research in this field will yield greater insights into the factors that tie adversity to poor emotion function across a lifespan. In this review, we focus on recent findings that have used a developmental approach in the examination of mental health and early adversity. These studies are notable in that, across numerous species, they converge on the idea that early adversity leads to accelerated maturation of emotion circuits in the brain and in the behaviors supported by these regions. We propose that these 'stress acceleration' effects are evidence of early system adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
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149
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Abstract
Strong evidence indicates that reciprocal connections between the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) support fundamental aspects of emotional behavior in adulthood. However, this circuitry is slow to develop in humans, exhibiting immaturity in childhood. The argument is made that the development of this circuitry in humans is intimately associated with caregiving, such that parental availability during childhood provides important and enduring scaffolding of neuroaffective processes that ultimately form of the nature of the adult phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nim Tottenham
- a Department of Psychology , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA
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150
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Abstract
Strong evidence indicates that reciprocal connections between the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) support fundamental aspects of emotional behavior in adulthood. However, this circuitry is slow to develop in humans, exhibiting immaturity in childhood. The argument is made that the development of this circuitry in humans is intimately associated with caregiving, such that parental availability during childhood provides important and enduring scaffolding of neuroaffective processes that ultimately form of the nature of the adult phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nim Tottenham
- a Department of Psychology , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA
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