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Lopera-Perez DC, Obradović J, Yousafzai AK, Keehn B, Siyal S, Nelson CA, Tarullo AR. Early Family Experiences and Neural Activity in Rural Pakistani Children: The Differential Role of Gender. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22534. [PMID: 39128886 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Adversity within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) poses severe threats to neurocognitive development, which can be partially mitigated by high-quality early family experiences. Specifically, maternal scaffolding and home stimulation can buffer cognitive development in LMIC, possibly by protecting underlying neural functioning. However, the association between family experiences and neural activity remains largely unexplored in LMIC contexts. This study explored the relation of early family experiences to later cognitive skills and absolute gamma power (21-45 Hz), a neural marker linked to higher-order cognitive skills. Drawing data from the PEDS trial, a longitudinal study in rural Pakistan, we examined maternal scaffolding at 24 months and home stimulation quality at 18 months as predictors of verbal IQ, executive functions, and absolute gamma at 48 months for 105 mother-child dyads (52 girls). Maternal scaffolding interacted with gender to predict absolute gamma power, such that higher maternal scaffolding was related to higher gamma more strongly for girls. Maternal scaffolding also interacted with absolute gamma to predict executive functions, such that higher gamma was related to better executive functions only when maternal scaffolding was average to high. Individual differences in early family experiences may partially buffer the neural underpinnings of cognitive skills from adversity in LMIC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Lopera-Perez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jelena Obradović
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Aisha K Yousafzai
- Department of Global Health and Population, T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brandon Keehn
- Departments of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Saima Siyal
- Development and Research for children in early and adolescent years of life (DREAM organization), Naushahro Feroze, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Departments of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amanda R Tarullo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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2
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Sandre A, Troller-Renfree SV, Giebler MA, Meyer JS, Noble KG. Prenatal family income, but not parental education, is associated with resting brain activity in 1-month-old infants. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13638. [PMID: 38871945 PMCID: PMC11176315 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64498-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with disparities in development and health, possibly through adaptations in children's brain function. However, it is not clear how early in development such neural adaptations might emerge. This study examined whether prenatal family socioeconomic status, operationalized as family income and average years of parental education, prospectively predicts individual differences in infant resting electroencephalography (EEG; theta, alpha, beta, and gamma power) at approximately 1 month of age (N = 160). Infants of mothers reporting lower family income showed more lower-frequency (theta) and less higher-frequency (beta and gamma) power. These associations held when adjusting for other prenatal and postnatal experiences, as well as infant demographic and health-related factors. In contrast, parental education was not significantly associated with infant EEG power in any frequency band. These data suggest that lower prenatal family income is associated with developmental differences in brain function that are detectable within the first month of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aislinn Sandre
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525W 120th Street, Russell Hall 21, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Sonya V Troller-Renfree
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525W 120th Street, Russell Hall 21, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Melissa A Giebler
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525W 120th Street, Russell Hall 21, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jerrold S Meyer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Kimberly G Noble
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525W 120th Street, Russell Hall 21, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
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3
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Tan E, Troller-Renfree SV, Morales S, Buzzell GA, McSweeney M, Antúnez M, Fox NA. Theta activity and cognitive functioning: Integrating evidence from resting-state and task-related developmental electroencephalography (EEG) research. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 67:101404. [PMID: 38852382 PMCID: PMC11214181 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The theta band is one of the most prominent frequency bands in the electroencephalography (EEG) power spectrum and presents an interesting paradox: while elevated theta power during resting state is linked to lower cognitive abilities in children and adolescents, increased theta power during cognitive tasks is associated with higher cognitive performance. Why does theta power, measured during resting state versus cognitive tasks, show differential correlations with cognitive functioning? This review provides an integrated account of the functional correlates of theta across different contexts. We first present evidence that higher theta power during resting state is correlated with lower executive functioning, attentional abilities, language skills, and IQ. Next, we review research showing that theta power increases during memory, attention, and cognitive control, and that higher theta power during these processes is correlated with better performance. Finally, we discuss potential explanations for the differential correlations between resting/task-related theta and cognitive functioning, and offer suggestions for future research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enda Tan
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
| | | | - Santiago Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, CA 90007, USA
| | - George A Buzzell
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, FL 33199, USA
| | - Marco McSweeney
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA
| | - Martín Antúnez
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA
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4
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Del Bianco T, Haartsen R, Mason L, Leno VC, Springer C, Potter M, Mackay W, Smit P, Plessis CD, Brink L, Johnson MH, Murphy D, Loth E, Odendaal H, Jones EJH. The importance of decomposing periodic and aperiodic EEG signals for assessment of brain function in a global context. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22484. [PMID: 38528816 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Measures of early neuro-cognitive development that are suitable for use in low-resource settings are needed to enable studies of the effects of early adversity on the developing brain in a global context. These measures should have high acquisition rates and good face and construct validity. Here, we investigated the feasibility of a naturalistic electroencephalography (EEG) paradigm in a low-resource context during childhood. Additionally, we examined the sensitivity of periodic and aperiodic EEG metrics to social and non-social stimuli. We recorded simultaneous 20-channel EEG and eye-tracking in 72 children aged 4-12 years (45 females) while they watched videos of women singing nursery rhymes and moving toys, selected to represent familiar childhood experiences. These measures were part of a feasibility study that assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a follow-up data collection of the South African Safe Passage Study, which tracks environmental adversity and brain and cognitive development from before birth up until childhood. We examined whether data quantity and quality varied with child characteristics and the sensitivity of varying EEG metrics (canonical band power in the theta and alpha band and periodic and aperiodic features of the power spectra). We found that children who completed the EEG and eye-tracking assessment were, in general, representative of the full cohort. Data quantity was higher in children with greater visual attention to the stimuli. Out of the tested EEG metrics, periodic measures in the theta frequency range were most sensitive to condition differences, compared to alpha range measures and canonical and aperiodic EEG measures. Our results show that measuring EEG during ecologically valid social and non-social stimuli is feasible in low-resource settings, is feasible for most children, and produces robust indices of social brain function. This work provides preliminary support for testing longitudinal links between social brain function, environmental factors, and emerging behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Del Bianco
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
| | - Rianne Haartsen
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
| | - Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Virginia Carter Leno
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Cilla Springer
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mandy Potter
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Wendy Mackay
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Petrusa Smit
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Carlie Du Plessis
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lucy Brink
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Declan Murphy
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Eva Loth
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, London, UK
| | - Hein Odendaal
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Emily J H Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
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Wade M, Parker V, Tang A, Fox NA, Zeanah CH, Nelson CA. Linking caregiving quality during infancy to brain activity in early childhood and later executive function. Dev Sci 2024:e13517. [PMID: 38654410 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
There is no relationship more vital than the one a child shares with their primary caregivers early in development. Yet many children worldwide are raised in settings that lack the warmth, connection, and stimulation provided by a responsive primary caregiver. In this study, we used data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), a longitudinal study of institutionally-reared and family-reared children, to test how caregiving quality during infancy is associated with average EEG power over the first 3.5 years of life in alpha, beta, and theta frequency bands, and associations with later executive function (EF) at age 8 years. The sample comprised 189 children (129 institutionally-reared; 60 family-reared) who contributed data on observed caregiving quality during infancy (baseline; average age of 22 months), resting EEG power at baseline, 30, and 42 months, and performance-based data on a series of EF tasks at 8 years. Using Bayesian estimation, observed caregiving quality at baseline was marginally linked with higher average alpha and beta power, and lower theta power, from baseline to 42 months. In turn, higher average beta power and lower average theta power were marginally associated with higher EF at 8 years. In indirect effects models, higher caregiving quality at baseline was associated with higher EF at 8 years, with a marginal indirect effect through average theta power from baseline to 42 months. Variation in the quality of the early caregiving environment may be associated with later executive function, which is partially underpinned by individual differences in brain activity during early childhood. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Examined associations between caregiving quality during infancy, brain activity during early childhood, and executive function during mid-childhood in sample of never-institutionalized and institutionally-reared children. Significant associations between higher quality caregiving during infancy and higher executive function during middle childhood. Marginal associations between caregiving quality during infancy and brain activity during early childhood. Marginal associations between brain activity during early childhood and executive function during mid-childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Wade
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Victoria Parker
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alva Tang
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Charles H Zeanah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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6
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Troller-Renfree SV, Sperber JF, Hart ER, Costanzo MA, Gennetian LA, Meyer JS, Fox NA, Noble KG. Associations between maternal stress and infant resting brain activity among families residing in poverty in the U.S. Biol Psychol 2023; 184:108683. [PMID: 37716521 PMCID: PMC10842437 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that maternal experiences of stress shape children's functional brain activity in the first years of life. Individuals living in poverty are more likely to experience stress from a variety of sources. However, it is unclear how stress is related to resting brain activity among children born into poverty. The present study examines whether infants born into households experiencing poverty show differences in brain activity associated with maternal reports of experiencing stress. The analytic sample comprised 247 mother-infant dyads who completed maternal questionnaires characterizing stress, and for whom recordings of infant resting brain activity were obtained at 1 year of age (M=12.93 months, SD=1.66; 50% female). Mothers (40% Black, non-Hispanic, 40% Hispanic, 12% White, non-Hispanic) who reported higher stress had infants who showed more resting brain activity in the lower end of the frequency spectrum (relative theta power) and less resting brain activity in the middle range of the frequency spectrum (relative alpha power). While statistically detectable at the whole-brain level, follow-up exploratory analyses revealed that these effects were most apparent in electrodes over frontal and parietal regions of the brain. These findings held after adjusting for a variety of potentially confounding variables. Altogether, the present study suggests that, among families experiencing low economic resources, maternal reports of stress are associated with differences in patterns of infant resting brain activity during the first year of life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emma R Hart
- Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Tan E, Tang A, Debnath R, Humphreys KL, Zeanah CH, Nelson CA, Fox NA. Resting brain activity in early childhood predicts IQ at 18 years. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 63:101287. [PMID: 37531865 PMCID: PMC10407667 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Resting brain activity has been widely used as an index of brain development in neuroscience and clinical research. However, it remains unclear whether early differences in resting brain activity have meaningful implications for predicting long-term cognitive outcomes. Using data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (Zeanah et al., 2003), we examined the impact of institutional rearing and the consequences of early foster care intervention on 18-year IQ. We found that higher resting theta electroencephalogram (EEG) power, reflecting atypical neurodevelopment, across three assessments from 22 to 42 months predicted lower full-scale IQ at 18 years, providing the first evidence that brain activity in early childhood predicts cognitive outcomes into adulthood. In addition, both institutional rearing and later (vs. earlier) foster care intervention predicted higher resting theta power in early childhood, which in turn predicted lower IQ at 18 years. These findings demonstrate that experientially-induced changes in brain activity early in life have profound impact on long-term cognitive development, highlighting the importance of early intervention for promoting healthy development among children living in disadvantaged environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enda Tan
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park 20740, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park 20740, USA.
| | - Alva Tang
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, USA.
| | - Ranjan Debnath
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg 39118, Germany.
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville 37203, USA.
| | - Charles H Zeanah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans 70118, USA.
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital of Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge 02138, USA.
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park 20740, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park 20740, USA.
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Tian J, Zhu Y, Liu S, Wang L, Qi Q, Deng Q, Andegiorgish AK, Elhoumed M, Cheng Y, Shen C, Zeng L, Zhu Z. Associations between life-course household wealth mobility and adolescent physical growth, cognitive development and emotional and behavioral problems: A birth cohort in rural western China. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1061251. [PMID: 36817901 PMCID: PMC9934056 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1061251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Parental household wealth has been shown to be associated with offspring health conditions, while inconsistent associations were reported among generally healthy population especially in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Whether the household wealth upward mobility in LMICs would confer benefits to child health remains unknown. Methods We conducted a prospective birth cohort of children born to mothers who participated in a randomized trial of antenatal micronutrient supplementation in rural western China. Household wealth were repeatedly assessed at pregnancy, mid-childhood and early adolescence using principal component analysis for household assets and dwelling characteristics. We used conditional gains and group-based trajectory modeling to assess the quantitative changes between two single-time points and relative mobility of household wealth over life-course, respectively. We performed generalized linear regressions to examine the associations of household wealth mobility indicators with adolescent height- (HAZ) and body mass index-for-age and sex z score (BAZ), scores of full-scale intelligent quotient (FSIQ) and emotional and behavioral problems. Results A total of 1,188 adolescents were followed, among them 59.9% were male with a mean (SD) age of 11.7 (0.9) years old. Per SD conditional increase of household wealth z score from pregnancy to mid-childhood was associated with 0.11 (95% CI 0.04, 0.17) SD higher HAZ and 1.41 (95% CI 0.68, 2.13) points higher FSIQ at early adolescence. Adolescents from the household wealth Upward trajectory had a 0.25 (95% CI 0.03, 0.47) SD higher HAZ and 4.98 (95% CI 2.59, 7.38) points higher FSIQ than those in the Consistently low subgroup. Conclusion Household wealth upward mobility particularly during early life has benefits on adolescent HAZ and cognitive development, which argues for government policies to implement social welfare programs to mitigate or reduce the consequences of early-life deprivations. Given the importance of household wealth in child health, it is recommended that socioeconomic circumstances should be routinely documented in the healthcare record in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Tian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yingze Zhu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Chengdu, China
| | - Liang Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qi Qi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qiwei Deng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Amanuel Kidane Andegiorgish
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Mohamed Elhoumed
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yue Cheng
- Department of Nutrition and Food Safety Research, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chi Shen
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lingxia Zeng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China,Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China,Lingxia Zeng ✉
| | - Zhonghai Zhu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China,*Correspondence: Zhonghai Zhu ✉
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Larson LM, Feuerriegel D, Hasan MI, Braat S, Jin J, Tipu SMU, Shiraji S, Tofail F, Biggs BA, Hamadani J, Johnson K, Pasricha SR, Bode S. Supplementation With Iron Syrup or Iron-Containing Multiple Micronutrient Powders Alters Resting Brain Activity in Bangladeshi Children. J Nutr 2023; 153:352-363. [PMID: 36913472 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2022.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anemia and iron deficiency have been associated with poor child cognitive development. A key rationale for the prevention of anemia using supplementation with iron has been the benefits to neurodevelopment. However, little causal evidence exists for these gains. OBJECTIVES We aimed to examine effects of supplementation with iron or multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) on brain activity measures using resting electroencephalography (EEG). METHODS Children included in this neurocognitive substudy were randomly selected from the Benefits and Risks of Iron Supplementation in Children study, a double-blind, double-dummy, individually randomized, parallel-group trial in Bangladesh, in which children, starting at 8 mo of age, received 3 mo of daily iron syrup, MNPs, or placebo. Resting brain activity was recorded using EEG immediately after intervention (month 3) and after a further 9-month follow-up (month 12). We derived EEG band power measures for delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. Linear regression models were used to compare the effect of each intervention with that of placebo on the outcomes. RESULTS Data from 412 children at month 3 and 374 at month 12 were analyzed. At baseline, 43.9% were anemic and 26.7% were iron deficient. Immediately after intervention, iron syrup, but not MNPs, increased the mu alpha-band power, a measure that is associated with maturity and the production of motor actions (iron vs. placebo: mean difference = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.50 μV2; P = 0.003; false discovery rate adjusted P = 0.015). Despite effects on hemoglobin and iron status, effects were not observed on the posterior alpha, beta, delta, and theta bands, nor were effects sustained at the 9-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The effect size for immediate effects on the mu alpha-band power is comparable in magnitude with psychosocial stimulation interventions and poverty reduction strategies. However, overall, we did not find evidence for long-lasting changes in resting EEG power spectra from iron interventions in young Bangladeshi children. This trial was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as ACTRN12617000660381.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila M Larson
- Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA; Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Daniel Feuerriegel
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mohammed Imrul Hasan
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sabine Braat
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jerry Jin
- Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sm Mulk Uddin Tipu
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shamima Shiraji
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Fahmida Tofail
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Beverley-Ann Biggs
- Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; The Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jena Hamadani
- Maternal and Child Health Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Katherine Johnson
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sant-Rayn Pasricha
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Diagnostic Haematology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Diagnostic Haematology and Clinical Haematology, The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stefan Bode
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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10
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Perinatal and early childhood biomarkers of psychosocial stress and adverse experiences. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:956-965. [PMID: 35091705 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-01933-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The human brain develops through a complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences. During critical periods of development, experiences shape brain architecture, often with long-lasting effects. If experiences are adverse, the effects may include the risk of mental and physical disease, whereas positive environments may increase the likelihood of healthy outcomes. Understanding how psychosocial stress and adverse experiences are embedded in biological systems and how we can identify markers of risk may lead to discovering new approaches to improve patient care and outcomes. Biomarkers can be used to identify specific intervention targets and at-risk children early when physiological system malleability increases the likelihood of intervention success. However, identifying reliable biomarkers has been challenging, particularly in the perinatal period and the first years of life, including in preterm infants. This review explores the landscape of psychosocial stress and adverse experience biomarkers. We highlight potential benefits and challenges of identifying risk clinically and different sub-signatures of stress, and in their ability to inform targeted interventions. Finally, we propose that the combination of preterm birth and adversity amplifies the risk for abnormal development and calls for a focus on this group of infants within the field of psychosocial stress and adverse experience biomarkers. IMPACT: Reviews the landscape of biomarkers of psychosocial stress and adverse experiences in the perinatal period and early childhood and highlights the potential benefits and challenges of their clinical utility in identifying risk status in children, and in developing targeted interventions. Explores associations between psychosocial stress and adverse experiences in childhood with prematurity and identifies potential areas of assessment and intervention to improve outcomes in this at-risk group.
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Sullivan EF, Xie W, Conte S, Richards JE, Shama T, Haque R, Petri WA, Nelson CA. Neural correlates of inhibitory control and associations with cognitive outcomes in Bangladeshi children exposed to early adversities. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13245. [PMID: 35192240 PMCID: PMC9393202 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
There is strong support for the view that children growing up in low-income homes typically evince poorer performance on tests of inhibitory control compared to those growing up in higher income homes. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the work documenting this association has been conducted in high-income countries. It is not yet known whether the mechanisms found to mediate this association would generalize to children in low- and middle-income countries, where the risks of exposure to extreme poverty and a wide range of both biological and psychosocial hazards may be greater. We examined relations among early adversity, neural correlates of inhibitory control, and cognitive outcomes in 154 5-year-old children living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, an area with a high prevalence of poverty. Participants completed a go/no-go task assessing inhibitory control and their behavioral and event-related potential responses were assessed. Cortical source analysis was performed. We collected measures of poverty, malnutrition, maternal mental health, psychosocial adversity, and cognitive skills. Supporting studies in high-income countries, children in this sample exhibited a longer N2 latency and higher P3 amplitude to the no-go versus go condition. Unexpectedly, children had a more pronounced N2 amplitude during go trials than no-go trials. The N2 latency was related to their behavioral accuracy on the go/no-go task. The P3 mean amplitude, behavioral accuracy, and reaction time during the task were all associated with intelligence-quotient (IQ) scores. Children who experienced higher levels of psychosocial adversity had lower accuracy on the task and lower IQ scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen F Sullivan
- Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.,Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, USA
| | - Wanze Xie
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Stefania Conte
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
| | - John E Richards
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
| | | | | | - William A Petri
- Infectious Diseases & International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.,Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
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Pirazzoli L, Sullivan E, Xie W, Richards JE, Bulgarelli C, Lloyd-Fox S, Shama T, Kakon SH, Haque R, Petri WAJ, Nelson CA. Association of psychosocial adversity and social information processing in children raised in a low-resource setting: an fNIRS study. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 56:101125. [PMID: 35763916 PMCID: PMC9241055 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Social cognition skills and socioemotional development are compromised in children growing up in low SES contexts, however, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unknown. Exposure to psychosocial risk factors early in life alters the child's social milieu and in turn, could lead to atypical processing of social stimuli. In this study, we used functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure cortical responses to a social discrimination task in children raised in a low-resource setting at 6, 24, and 36 months. In addition, we assessed the relation between cortical responses to social and non-social information with psychosocial risk factors assessed using the Childhood Psychosocial Adversity Scale (CPAS). In line with previous findings, we observed specialization to social stimuli in cortical regions in all age groups. In addition, we found that risk factors were associated with social discrimination at 24 months (intimate partner violence and verbal abuse and family conflict) and 36 months (verbal abuse and family conflict and maternal depression) but not at 6 months. Overall, the results show that exposure to psychosocial adversity has more impact on social information processing in toddlerhood than earlier in infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pirazzoli
- Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Eileen Sullivan
- Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Wanze Xie
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, China
| | | | - Chiara Bulgarelli
- Birkbeck, University of London, UK; University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Charles A Nelson
- Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Bhavnani S, Parameshwaran D, Sharma KK, Mukherjee D, Divan G, Patel V, Thiagarajan TC. The Acceptability, Feasibility, and Utility of Portable Electroencephalography to Study Resting-State Neurophysiology in Rural Communities. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:802764. [PMID: 35386581 PMCID: PMC8978891 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.802764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) provides a non-invasive means to advancing our understanding of the development and function of the brain. However, the majority of the world’s population residing in low and middle income countries has historically been limited from contributing to, and thereby benefiting from, such neurophysiological research, due to lack of scalable validated methods of EEG data collection. In this study, we establish a standard operating protocol to collect approximately 3 min each of eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-state EEG data using a low-cost portable EEG device in rural households through formative work in the community. We then evaluate the acceptability of these EEG assessments to young children and feasibility of administering them through non-specialist workers. Finally, we describe properties of the EEG recordings obtained using this novel approach to EEG data collection. The formative phase was conducted with 9 families which informed protocols for consenting, child engagement strategies and data collection. The protocol was then implemented on 1265 families. 977 children (Mean age = 38.8 months, SD = 0.9) and 1199 adults (Mean age = 27.0 years, SD = 4) provided resting-state data for this study. 259 children refused to wear the EEG cap or removed it, and 58 children refused the eyes-closed recording session. Hardware or software issues were experienced during 30 and 25 recordings in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions respectively. Disturbances during the recording sessions were rare and included participants moving their heads, touching the EEG headset with their hands, opening their eyes within the eyes-closed recording session, and presence of loud sounds in the testing environment. Similar to findings in laboratory-based studies from high-income settings, the percentage of recordings which showed an alpha peak was higher in eyes-closed than eyes-open condition, with the peak occurring most frequently in electrodes at O1 and O2 positions, and the mean frequency of the alpha peak was found to be lower in children (8.43 Hz, SD = 1.73) as compared to adults (10.71 Hz, SD = 3.96). We observed a deterioration in the EEG signal with prolonged device usage. This study demonstrates the acceptability, feasibility and utility of conducting EEG research at scale in a rural low-resource community, while highlighting its potential limitations, and offers the impetus needed to further refine the methods and devices and validate such scalable methods to overcome existing research inequity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Bhavnani
- Child Development Group, Sangath, Goa, India.,Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India
| | | | | | - Debarati Mukherjee
- Indian Institute of Public Health-Bengaluru, Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru, India
| | - Gauri Divan
- Child Development Group, Sangath, Goa, India
| | - Vikram Patel
- Child Development Group, Sangath, Goa, India.,Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
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