Trajectories of resting frontal brain activity and psychopathology in female adolescents exposed to child maltreatment

Temporal-Posterior Alpha Power in Resting-State Electroencephalography as a Potential Marker of Complex Childhood Trauma in Institutionalized Adolescents

The present study explored whether, given the association of temporal alpha with fear circuitry (learning and conditioning), exposure to complex childhood trauma (CCT) is reflected in the temporal-posterior alpha power in resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) in complex trauma-exposed adolescents in a sample of 25 adolescents and similar controls aged 12-17 years. Both trauma and psychopathology were screened or assessed, and resting-state EEG was recorded following a preregistered protocol for data collection. Temporal-posterior alpha power, corresponding to the T5 and T6 electrode locations (international 10-20 system), was extracted from resting-state EEG in both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. We found that in the eyes-open condition, temporal-posterior alpha was significantly lower in adolescents exposed to CCT relative to healthy controls, suggesting that childhood trauma exposure may have a measurable impact on alpha oscillatory patterns. Our study highlights the importance of considering potential neural markers, such as temporal-posterior alpha power, to understanding the long-term consequences of CCT exposure in developmental samples, with possible important clinical implications in guiding neuroregulation interventions.

Developmental patterns of children's shyness: Relations with physiological, emotional, and regulatory responses to being treated unfairly

The dysregulation of social fear has been widely studied in children's shyness, but we know little about how shy children regulate during unfair treatment. We first characterized developmental patterns of children's shyness (N = 304, ngirls  = 153; 74% White, 26% Other) across 2 (Mage  = 2.07), 3 (Mage  = 3.08), 4 (Mage  = 4.08), and 6 (Mage  = 6.58) years of age. Data collection occurred from 2007 to 2014. At age 6, the high stable group had higher cardiac vagal withdrawal and lower expressed sadness and approach-related regulatory strategy than the low stable group when being treated unfairly. Although shy children may be more physiologically impacted by being treated unfairly, they may mask their sadness to signal appeasement.

Changes in Electroencephalography Alpha Associated With Childhood Neglect and Adolescent Alcohol Use

The present pilot study is interested in the relationship between childhood neglect, brain function, and alcohol use in adolescence. The goal is to guide future prevention and intervention efforts related to alcohol use following childhood neglect. This pilot study comprised 53 adolescents (12-14 years at baseline) recruited from the Department of Social Services (DSS). Self- and DSS-reported neglect, electroencephalography (EEG) alpha power, and alcohol use behaviors were measured over 1 year. Higher DSS neglect severity in year 1 was related to lower self-efficacy to alcohol use temptation in year 2. Lower EEG alpha power in the parietal region in year 1 was linked to lower self-efficacy to the temptation of alcohol use in year 2. This pilot project has value for using tools, such as EEG, in child maltreatment and alcohol use studies, including with underrepresented adolescents, to better understand brain-related mechanisms in home-based research.

Continuity versus change in latent profiles of emotion regulation and working memory during adolescence

Significant structural and functional brain development occurs during early adolescence. These changes underlie developments in central neurocognitive processes such as working memory (WM) and emotion regulation (ER). The preponderance of studies modeling trajectories of adolescent brain development use variable-centered approaches, omitting attention to individual differences that may undergird neurobiological embedding of early life stress and attendant psychopathology. This preregistered, data-driven study used latent transition analysis (LTA) to identify (1) latent profiles of neural function during a WM and implicit ER task, (2) transitions in profiles across 24 months, and 3) associations between transitions, parental support, and subsequent psychopathology. Using two waves of data from the ABCD Study (Mage T1 = 10; Mage T2 = 12), we found three unique profiles of neural function at both T1 and T2. The Typical, Emotion Hypo-response, and Emotion-Hyper response profiles were characterized by, respectively: moderate amygdala activation and fusiform deactivation; high ACC, fusiform, and insula deactivation; and high amygdala, ACC, and insula response to ER. While 69.5 % remained in the Typical profile from T1 to T2, 27.8 % of the sample moved from one profile at T1 to another at T2. However, neither latent profiles nor transitions exhibited associations between parental support or psychopathology symptoms.

Longitudinal investigation of shyness and physiological vulnerability: Moderating influences of attention biases to threat and safety

Shyness has long been identified as a vulnerability factor to developing psychosocial problems, but there is heterogeneity in these observed outcomes. One potential factor underlying these relations is individual differences in threat sensitivity. Using a longitudinal design, we examined whether attentional biases toward social threat and safety measured during adulthood moderated the association between shyness measured in emerging adulthood (N = 83, n_female = 48; M_age = 23.56 years, SD_age = 1.09 years) and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry at rest, a physiological index of vulnerability to psychopathology, measured nearly a decade later in adulthood (M_age = 31.68 years, SD_age = 2.27 years). We found that only biases to threat moderated the association between shyness and resting frontal EEG asymmetry longitudinally. In individuals who displayed relative vigilance to social threat, shyness was associated with greater relative right frontal EEG activity at rest (i.e., increased physiological vulnerability). These findings suggest that attentional biases to threat may play a role in understanding the relation between shyness and some known physiological vulnerabilities to psychopathology in adults.

Temperamental Shyness and Anger/Frustration in Childhood: Normative Development, Individual Differences, and the Impacts of Maternal Intrusiveness and Frontal Electroencephalogram Asymmetry

This study used latent growth curve modeling to identify normative development and individual differences in the developmental patterns of shyness and anger/frustration across childhood. This study also examined the impacts of maternal intrusiveness and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry at age 4 on the developmental patterns of shyness and anger/frustration. 180 children (92 boys, 88 girls; M_age  = 4.07 years at baseline; 75.6% White, 18.3% Black, 6.1% multiracial/other) participated in the study. Normative development included significant linear decreases in shyness and anger/frustration. Individual variation existed in the developmental patterns. Children with left frontal EEG asymmetry showed a faster decreasing pattern of shyness. Children who experienced higher maternal intrusiveness and had left frontal EEG asymmetry showed a slower decreasing pattern of anger/frustration.

Association between EEG asymmetry and the error-related negativity across middle childhood

Resting frontal EEG alpha asymmetry has been extensively examined as a marker of motivational disposition. Recent research has examined how this trait-level marker of motivation influences an individual's internal error monitoring (indexed by the error-related negativity; ERN), with mixed findings as to whether more negative ERNs are associated with greater left or right alpha power. Data from 339 children who completed an incentivized Go/No-Go task annually from Kindergarten through 2nd grade were examined for an association between ERN amplitude and EEG asymmetry, and for whether the association was developmentally stable. Results indicate an association between left-dominant activation and a more negative amplitude in Kindergarten, with an inversion of this association emerging by 2nd grade, such that a more negative ERNs were associated with right-dominant activation. We suggest that the association between EEG asymmetry and ERN amplitude is likely modulated by task condition (e.g., incentivization) and experience over time (e.g., habituation).

Alpha electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry among toddlers in foster care

The majority of children living in foster care in the United States have a history of maltreatment and/or disrupted caregiving. Maltreatment in early childhood adversely affects development at many levels, including neurobiology and behavior. One neurobiological measure associated with maltreatment is alpha electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry. Prior research has found greater right frontal asymmetry among children with a history of maltreatment. However, little research has been extended developmentally downward to examine alpha asymmetry and its behavioral correlates among toddlers in foster care; this was the purpose of the present study. Differences in EEG asymmetry were examined between a sample of foster toddlers (mean age = 3.21 years, n = 38) and a community comparison, low-income sample without a history of foster care (mean age = 3.04 years, n = 16). The toddlers in the foster care group exhibited greater right alpha asymmetry, primarily driven by differences in parietal asymmetry. Neither frontal nor parietal asymmetry were clearly related to internalizing or externalizing behaviors, measured concurrently or at previous time points. These findings reveal differences in alpha EEG asymmetry among toddlers in foster care, and highlight the need to better understand associations between neurobiological and behavioral functioning following early adversity.

Predicting PTSD severity using longitudinal magnetoencephalography with a multi-step learning framework

Objective The present study explores the effectiveness of incorporating temporal information in predicting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) severity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) imaging data. The main objective was to assess the relationship between longitudinal MEG functional connectome data, measured across a variety of neural oscillatory frequencies and collected at two-timepoints (Phase I & II), against PTSD severity captured at the later time point. Approach We used an in-house developed informatics solution, featuring a two-step process featuring pre-learn feature selection (CV-SVR-rRF-FS, cross-validation with support vector regression and recursive random forest feature selection) and deep learning (long-short term memory recurrent neural network, LSTM-RNN) techniques. Main results The pre-learn step selected a small number of functional connections (or edges) from Phase I MEG data associated with Phase II PTSD severity, indexed using the PTSD CheckList (PCL) score. This strategy identified the functional edges affected by traumatic exposure and indexed disease severity, either permanently or evolving dynamically over time, for optimal predictive performance. Using the selected functional edges, LSTM modelling was used to incorporate the Phase II MEG data into longitudinal regression models. Single timepoint (Phase I and Phase II MEG data) SVR models were generated for comparison. Assessed with holdout test data, alpha and high gamma bands showed enhanced predictive performance with the longitudinal models comparing to the Phase I single timepoint models. The best predictive performance was observed for lower frequency ranges compared to the higher frequencies (low gamma), for both model types. Significance This study identified the neural oscillatory signatures that benefited from additional temporal information when estimating the outcome of PTSD severity using MEG functional connectome data. Crucially, this approach can similarly be applied to any other mental health challenge, using this effective informatics foundation for longitudinal tracking of pathological brain states and predicting outcome with a MEG-based neurophysiology imaging system.

TRAJECTORIES OF DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCES IN ADOLESCENT FEMALES EXPOSED TO CHILD MALTREATMENT: INFLUENCE OF FRONTAL EEG ASYMMETRY

Introduction: Dissociative experiences resulting in disruptions in the integration of an organized sense of self are one consequence of childhood maltreatment, and is associated with psychopathology and maladjustment across development. Despite the consequences of dissociative experiences, we know relatively little about the physiological factors associated with the development of dissociative experiences in children exposed to maltreatment.

Methods: Using a 3-wave short-term prospective design, we examined the influence of resting frontal alpha asymmetry at rest on the trajectory of dissociative experiences in a sample of adolescents exposed to documented child maltreatment (N = 55; Mage = 15.93, SDage = 1.02).

Results: Adolescents with greater relative left frontal alpha asymmetry at rest exhibited increasing trajectories of dissociative experiences over one year.

Discussion: Our results are discussed in the context physiological indexes of emotion dysregulation associated with dissociative experiences in youth exposed to child maltreatment.

Frontal Brain Asymmetry and the Trajectory of Shyness Across the Early School Years

Although resting right frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry has been linked to avoidance and withdrawal-related behaviors such as shyness in previous cross-sectional studies, relatively little research has examined the influence of frontal brain electrical activity on the development of shyness in children using a prospective, longitudinal study design. Here, we tested whether resting frontal EEG asymmetry predicted the trajectory of children's shyness across five assessments. Children were enrolled in the study during the summer prior to grade 1 (N = 37; M_age = 6.39 years, S.D. = 0.15 years), at which time resting frontal EEG activity and maternal report of children's shyness were collected. Mothers then reported on their child's shyness over another four follow-up assessments, spanning 2 years (winter of grade 1, summer prior to grade 2 entry, winter of grade 2, and summer prior to grade 3). Growth curve analysis revealed that children displaying greater relative right frontal EEG activity had lower levels of shyness relative to children exhibiting greater relative left frontal EEG activity at study enrollment (i.e., age 6), but displayed statistically significant linear increases in shyness across time, with the highest levels of shyness by the summer prior to grade 3 (i.e., age 8). There was, however, no relation between left frontal EEG asymmetry and change in shyness across time. These preliminary findings suggest that right frontal EEG asymmetry may reflect a biological diathesis for the growth of shyness during the early school years.

Brain, interrupted: alpha/delta EEG ratio in survivors of pre- and post-natal adversity

RESULTS

Young adults born at extremely low birth weight (prenatal adversity; N = 64, M_age = 23.14 years, SD_age = 1.26 years) had a lower alpha/delta ratio score compared to normal birth weight controls (N = 76, M_age = 23.60 years, SD_age = 1.09 years), while youth exposed to child maltreatment (postnatal adversity; N = 39, M_age = 16.18 years, SD_age = 1.15) had a higher alpha/delta ratio compared to controls (N = 23, M_age = 16.00 years, SD_age = 1.50 years).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that being exposed to pre- and post-natal adversity may have different long-term consequences on brain development. We speculate that these differences might be associated with some of the different functional outcomes known to characterize each type of adverse experience.

Impact of maternal childhood trauma on child behavioral problems: The role of child frontal alpha asymmetry

Childhood trauma is associated with many long-term negative outcomes, and is not limited to the individual experiencing the trauma, but extends to subsequent generations. However, mechanisms underlying the association between maternal childhood trauma and child psychopathology are not well understood. Here, we targeted frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) as a potential underlying factor of the relationship between maternal childhood trauma and child behavioral problems. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from (N = 45) children (Mean age = 57.9 months, SD = 3.13) during an eyes-closed paradigm in order to evaluate FAA. Mothers reported on their childhood trauma experiences using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and on their child's behavior using the child behavior checklist (CBCL). We found that maternal childhood trauma significantly predicted child total, internalizing, and externalizing behavior at age 5 years. We also observed a role for FAA such that it acted as a moderator, but not mediator, for behavioral problems. We found that children with relative more right/less left frontal activity were more at risk to develop behavioral problems when their mother had been exposed to trauma in her childhood. These results indicate that child frontal asymmetry may serve as a susceptibility marker for child behavioral problems.

Alpha EEG asymmetry, childhood maltreatment, and problem behaviors: A pilot home-based study

BACKGROUND

Child maltreatment, trauma symptoms, and alpha electroencephalography (EEG) asymmetry have been linked to problem behaviors and alcohol use disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this pilot study was to clarify the role of alpha EEG asymmetry in the relation of maltreatment and problem behaviors. It was hypothesized that adolescents with more maltreatment, trauma symptoms, and right alpha EEG asymmetry would have more problem behaviors and alcohol use. It was also hypothesized that alpha EEG asymmetry would moderate the association between maltreatment/trauma symptoms and problem behaviors.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Participants were 52 adolescents aged 12-14 years. Resting-state alpha EEG asymmetry was measured in this home-based study as a potential moderator in the association of child maltreatment and trauma symptoms to problem behaviors including alcohol use.

RESULTS

Child maltreatment reports and trauma symptoms were significantly associated with problem behaviors (β = 0.259, p = 0.037 and β = 0.594, p < 0.001, respectively). Trauma symptoms were associated with alcohol-use (Incidence Rate Ratio = 1.048, p = 0.032). Right alpha EEG asymmetry moderated the positive association of trauma symptoms and problem behaviors (β = -0.383, p = 0.024). However, this was not the case for left alpha EEG asymmetry.

CONCLUSIONS

Neural correlates associated with individuals' affective-behavioral profiles may play a role in the susceptibility for problem behaviors among adolescents exposed to higher levels of childhood trauma. This could be useful in developing targeted assessments and interventions to prevent or treat these problems in adolescents.

Trajectories of Resting Heart Period and Shyness in Adolescent Females Exposed to Child Maltreatment

Relatively little is known about the psychophysiological processes underlying the development of socioemotional vulnerabilities that are common among adolescents exposed to child maltreatment. Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we investigated whether trajectories of resting heart period (HP; a physiological correlate of stress vulnerability) across three visits (separated by 6 months) was associated with shyness (a type of socioemotional vulnerability) in adolescent females exposed to child maltreatment (N = 55; M_age = 14.07 years). Adolescents' resting HP across visits was best characterized by two latent trajectories: a stable high class (25.5%) and a stable low class (74.5%). The stable low HP trajectory was associated with higher shyness at Time 1 (T1), and HP trajectory moderated the association between T1 and Time 3 (T3) shyness. Females in the stable low HP trajectory demonstrated stability of shyness from T1 to T3, whereas T1 and T3 shyness were unrelated for females in the stable high HP trajectory. We also found that shyness at T1 and T3 was associated with greater levels of anxiety at T3. These findings illustrate heterogeneity in the developmental patterns of resting autonomic activity in adolescent females exposed to child maltreatment; such differences may influence the continuity of some traits linked with socioemotional vulnerability such as shyness.

The Electrical Aftermath: Brain Signals of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Filtered Through a Clinical Lens

This review aims to identify patterns of electrical signals identified using electroencephalography (EEG) linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and symptom dimensions. We filter EEG findings through a clinical lens, evaluating nuances in findings according to study criteria and participant characteristics. Within the EEG frequency domain, greater right than left parietal asymmetry in alpha band power is the most promising marker of PTSD symptoms and is linked to exaggerated physiological arousal that may impair filtering of environmental distractors. The most consistent findings within the EEG time domain focused on event related potentials (ERPs) include: 1) exaggerated frontocentral responses (contingent negative variation, mismatch negativity, and P3a amplitudes) to task-irrelevant distractors, and 2) attenuated parietal responses (P3b amplitudes) to task-relevant target stimuli. These findings suggest that some individuals with PTSD suffer from attention dysregulation, which could contribute to problems concentrating on daily tasks and goals in lieu of threatening distractors. Future research investigating the utility of alpha asymmetry and frontoparietal ERPs as diagnostic and predictive biomarkers or intervention targets are recommended.

Frontal alpha asymmetry moderates the relations between behavioral inhibition and social-effect ERN

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is an early temperamental precursor of anxiety disorders, characterized by withdrawal from novel situations. Some but not all young children with BI go on to display anxiety disorders. Neural correlates, such as frontal alpha asymmetry or event-related negativity (ERN), could moderate the relations between early BI and later anxiety. The goal of this longitudinal study was to test frontal alpha asymmetry as a potential moderator of the relation between BI and later anxiety, and of the relation between BI and the social-effect ERN. 100 children were assessed for BI at ages 2 and 3, and we collected EEG during resting state and the social Flanker task at age 12. Frontal alpha asymmetry did not correlate with BI or anxiety, nor did it moderate the relation between early BI and later anxiety. However, frontal alpha asymmetry did moderate the relation between BI and the social-effect ERN. This suggests that, in adolescents who previously manifested BI, a pattern of resting EEG associated with avoidance predicts hypersensitivity to errors in a social context.

Trajectory of heart period to socioaffective threat in shy children

Although shyness is characterized by distinct psychophysiological correlates, we know very little about the development of these correlates. In this longitudinal study, we examined how children's shyness was associated with trajectories of heart period (HP) to socioaffective threat across four assessments spanning approximately 2 years. Children (M_age  = 6.39 years) viewed age-appropriate, socioaffective videos at each visit while having their HP measured concurrently. A growth curve analysis revealed that low shy children had a relatively lower HP at enrollment, but experienced increases in HP across visits, while high shy children exhibited relatively stable low HP across visits while viewing threat-related socioaffective video stimuli. These patterns did not exist for HP during resting baseline or HP to nonthreatening video stimuli. These findings suggest that longitudinal patterns of HP among shy children may reflect a stable, characteristic way of responding to socioaffective threat, and possibly a physiological mechanism underlying shyness in some children.