Gray matter based spatial statistics framework in the 1-month brain: insights into gray matter microstructure in infancy.

The neurodevelopmental epoch from fetal stages to early life embodies a critical window of peak growth and plasticity in which differences believed to be associated with many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders first emerge. Obtaining a detailed understanding of the developmental trajectories of the cortical gray matter microstructure is necessary to characterize differential patterns of neurodevelopment that may subserve future intellectual, behavioral, and psychiatric challenges. The neurite orientation dispersion density imaging (NODDI) Gray-Matter Based Spatial Statistics (GBSS) framework leverages information from the NODDI model to enable sensitive characterization of the gray matter microstructure while limiting partial volume contamination and misregistration errors between images collected in different spaces. However, limited contrast of the underdeveloped brain poses challenges for implementing this framework with infant diffusion MRI (dMRI) data. In this work, we aim to examine the development of cortical microstructure in infants. We utilize the NODDI GBSS framework and propose refinements to the original framework that aim to improve the delineation and characterization of gray matter in the infant brain. Taking this approach, we cross-sectionally investigate age relationships in the developing gray matter microstructural organization in infants within the first month of life and reveal widespread relationships with the gray matter architecture.

Capturing the complexity of child behavior and caregiver-child interactions in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study using a rigorous and equitable approach.

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. This article outlines methodological considerations and the decision-making process for measurement selection for child behavior, parenting/caregiver-child interactions, and the family/home environment for HBCD. The decision-making process is detailed, including formation of a national workgroup (WG-BEH) that focused on developmentally appropriate measures that take a rigorous and equitable approach and aligned with HBCD objectives. Multi-level-observational and caregiver-report measures were deemed necessary for capturing the desired constructs across multiple contexts while balancing the nuance of observational data with pragmatic considerations. WG-BEH prioritized developmentally sensitive, validated assessments with psychometrics supporting use in diverse populations and focused on mechanistic linkages and prediction of desired constructs. Other considerations included participant burden and retention, staff training needs, and cultural sensitivity. Innovation was permitted when it was grounded in evidence and filled key gaps. Finally, this article describes the rationale for the selected constructs (e.g., temperament, social-emotional development, parenting behaviors, family organization) and corresponding measures chosen for HBCD visits from early infancy through 17 months of age.

Parental incarceration and health risks in a population-based study of U.S. early adolescents: Results among racialized groups.

Parental incarceration is an adverse childhood experience that inequitably burdens families of color and affects millions of U.S. children and adolescents. Although racialized disparities in exposure to parental incarceration are often acknowledged, researchers have yet to examine whether manifestations of racism may affect the link between parental incarceration and youth outcomes. This study provides a first look at how parental incarceration relates to health vulnerabilities in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, an ongoing, population-based study of U.S. children born between 2006 and 2008. We start by describing exposure to parental incarceration and then examine how parental incarceration, state-level racial prejudice, and discrimination relate to health risks among 9191 White (66%), Black (19%), or Hispanic (15%) youth. Consistent with what we know about pervasive racialized disparities in the U.S. criminal legal system, we find that 19.3% of Black children in our sample have experienced parental incarceration, followed by 7.8% of Hispanic children, and 4.8% of White children. Results of multilevel mixed models further indicate that parental incarceration was associated with increased health risks among White children whereas family economic hardship and discrimination experiences were more robustly associated with health vulnerabilities among Black and Hispanic children. Additional analyses explored whether parental incarceration was associated with other outcomes among Black and Hispanic children, revealing increased risk for behavior problems contingent upon parental incarceration and discrimination for Black children and Hispanic boys. Among Hispanic girls, parental incarceration was associated with increased risk of behavior problems in states with higher levels of racism. Results suggest that parental incarceration contributes to risk among early adolescents across racialized groups, but that the specific toll it takes depends on outcomes assessed and the context in which it occurs.

White matter microstructure predicts individual differences in infant fear (But not anger and sadness).

We examine neural correlates of discrete expressions of negative emotionality in infants to determine whether the microstructure of white matter tracts at 1 month of age foreshadows the expression of specific negative emotions later in infancy. Infants (n = 103) underwent neuroimaging at 1-month, and mothers reported on infant fear, sadness, and anger at 6, 12, and 18 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. Levels and developmental change in fear, sadness, and anger were estimated from mother reports. Relations between MRI and infant emotion indicated that 1-month white matter microstructure was differentially associated with level and change in infant fear, but not anger or sadness, in the left stria terminalis (p < 0.05, corrected), a tract that connects frontal and tempo-parietal regions and has been implicated in emerging psychopathology in adults. More relaxed constraints on significance (p < 0.10, corrected) revealed that fear was associated with lower white matter microstructure bilaterally in the inferior portion of the stria terminalis and regions within the sagittal stratum. Results suggest the neurobehavioral uniqueness of fear as early as 1 month of age in regions that are associated with potential longer-term outcomes. This work highlights the early neural precursors of fearfulness, adding to literature explaining the psychobiological accounts of affective development. HIGHLIGHTS: Expressions of infant fear and anger, but not sadness, increase from 6 to 18 months of age. Early neural architecture in the stria terminalis is related to higher initial levels and increasing fear in infancy. After accounting for fear, anger and sadness do not appear to be associated with differences in early white matter microstructure. This work identifies early neural precursors of fearfulness as early as 1-month of age.

Automated motion artifact detection in early pediatric diffusion MRI using a convolutional neural network.

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is a widely used method to investigate the microstructure of the brain. Quality control (QC) of dMRI data is an important processing step that is performed prior to analysis using models such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) or neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). When processing dMRI data from infants and young children, where intra-scan motion is common, the identification and removal of motion artifacts is of the utmost importance. Manual QC of dMRI data is (1) time-consuming due to the large number of diffusion directions, (2) expensive, and (3) prone to subjective errors and observer variability. Prior techniques for automated dMRI QC have mostly been limited to adults or school-age children. Here, we propose a deep learning-based motion artifact detection tool for dMRI data acquired from infants and toddlers. The proposed framework uses a simple three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3DCNN) trained and tested on an early pediatric dataset of 2,276 dMRI volumes from 121 exams acquired at 1 month and 24 months of age. An average classification accuracy of 95% was achieved following four-fold cross-validation. A second dataset with different acquisition parameters and ages ranging from 2-36 months (consisting of 2,349 dMRI volumes from 26 exams) was used to test network generalizability, achieving 98% classification accuracy. Finally, to demonstrate the importance of motion artifact volume removal in a dMRI processing pipeline, the dMRI data were fit to the DTI and NODDI models and the parameter maps were compared with and without motion artifact removal.

Childhood inhibition predicts adolescent social anxiety: Findings from a longitudinal twin study.

An enduring issue in the study of mental health is identifying developmental processes that explain how childhood characteristics progress to maladaptive forms. We examine the role that behavioral inhibition (BI) has on social anxiety (SA) during adolescence in 868 families of twins assessed at ages 8, 13, and 15 years. Multimodal assessments of BI and SA were completed at each phase, with additional measures (e.g., parenting stress) for parents and twins. Analyses were conducted in several steps: first, we used a cross-lagged panel model to demonstrate bidirectional paths between BI and SA; second a biometric Cholesky decomposition showed that both genetic and environmental influences on childhood BI also affect adolescent SA; next, multilevel phenotypic models tested moderation effects between BI and SA. We tested seven potential moderators of the BI to SA prediction in individual models and included only those that emerged as significant in a final conditional model examining predictors of SA. Though several main effects emerged as significant, only parenting stress had a significant interaction with BI to predict SA, highlighting the importance of environmental moderators in models examining temperamental effects on later psychological symptoms. This comprehensive assessment continues to build the prototype for such developmental psychopathology models.

Parental Arrest and Child Behavior: Differential Role of Executive Functioning among Racial Subgroups.

This study examines relations among parental arrest, child executive functioning (EF), and problem behaviors among youth who participated in the baseline assessment of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (N = 11,875). Participants ranged in age from 9 to 10 (M = 9.91) years, and approximately half were girls (47.9%). Results of regression analyses that controlled for sociodemographic risk factors indicated that children who experienced parental arrest exhibited more internalizing and externalizing behaviors than comparison youth, particularly when their mother vs. father had been arrested. Results of analyses that were disaggregated by child race further revealed that EF appeared to play a differential role among White (n = 5851) and Black (n = 1451) children. Among White children, EF was associated with fewer internalizing and externalizing behaviors regardless of whether or not a parent had been arrested. Among Black children, low levels of EF were associated with more internalizing behaviors in the context of parental arrest vs. no arrest, but high levels of EF did not appear to confer benefits. EF was not significantly related to externalizing behaviors among Black children. Taken together, results suggest that parental arrests have adverse implications for child well-being that warrant continued theoretical and empirical attention. Findings also suggest that, although EF may be broadly beneficial among White children, there appear to be constraints on the extent to which high EF benefits Black children, a finding that is discussed through the lens of racial stratification and that has important implications for future theory, research, and practice.

Structural Brain Correlates of Childhood Inhibited Temperament: An ENIGMA-Anxiety Mega-analysis.

Temperament involves stable behavioral and emotional tendencies that differ between individuals, which can be first observed in infancy or early childhood and relate to behavior in many contexts and over many years.1 One of the most rigorously characterized temperament classifications relates to the tendency of individuals to avoid the unfamiliar and to withdraw from unfamiliar people, objects, and unexpected events. This temperament is referred to as behavioral inhibition or inhibited temperament (IT).2 IT is a moderately heritable trait1 that can be measured in multiple species.3 In humans, levels of IT can be quantified from the first year of life through direct behavioral observations or reports by caregivers or teachers. Similar approaches as well as self-report questionnaires on current and/or retrospective levels of IT1 can be used later in life.

Pediatric assessment of Research Domain Criteria positive and negative valence systems: Partial genetic mediation of links to problem behaviors.

We use the highly structured Laboratory-Temperament Assessment Battery to measure behaviors that map onto the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) positive and negative valence systems. Using a birth record-based sample (N = 1374 individual twins; mean age 7.7 years), we created composites of observed behavior reflecting the RDoC constructs Reward Responsiveness, Frustrative Nonreward, Loss, and Fear. Next, we related the RDoC constructs concurrently and longitudinally to problem behaviors, measured using parent-report on the Health Behavior Questionnaire and symptom counts from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version IV (DISC-IV; reflecting DSM-IV). The four pediatric RDoC positive and negative valence system measures, especially Reward Responsiveness, Frustrative Nonreward, and Loss, were heritable and modestly but plausibly related to traditional DSM-based measures in a transdiagnostic manner. The modest predictions from RDoC measures to DSM-based measures were largely genetically mediated, although relationships with aggressive and oppositional behaviors were also influenced by common environmental factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Using machine learning to understand age and gender classification based on infant temperament.

Age and gender differences are prominent in the temperament literature, with the former particularly salient in infancy and the latter noted as early as the first year of life. This study represents a meta-analysis utilizing Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) data collected across multiple laboratories (N = 4438) to overcome limitations of smaller samples in elucidating links among temperament, age, and gender in early childhood. Algorithmic modeling techniques were leveraged to discern the extent to which the 14 IBQ-R subscale scores accurately classified participating children as boys (n = 2,298) and girls (n = 2,093), and into three age groups: youngest (< 24 weeks; n = 1,102), mid-range (24 to 48 weeks; n = 2,557), and oldest (> 48 weeks; n = 779). Additionally, simultaneous classification into age and gender categories was performed, providing an opportunity to consider the extent to which gender differences in temperament are informed by infant age. Results indicated that overall age group classification was more accurate than child gender models, suggesting that age-related changes are more salient than gender differences in early childhood with respect to temperament attributes. However, gender-based classification was superior in the oldest age group, suggesting temperament differences between boys and girls are accentuated with development. Fear emerged as the subscale contributing to accurate classifications most notably overall. This study leads infancy research and meta-analytic investigations more broadly in a new direction as a methodological demonstration, and also provides most optimal comparative data for the IBQ-R based on the largest and most representative dataset to date.

Reduction of Motion Artifacts in Functional Connectivity Resulting from Infrequent Large Motion.

Introduction: Subject head motion is an ongoing challenge in functional magnetic resonance imaging, particularly in the estimation of functional connectivity. Infants (1-month old) scanned during nonsedated sleep often have occasional but large movements of several millimeters separated by periods with relatively little movement. This results in residual signal changes even after image realignment and can distort estimates of functional connectivity. A new motion correction technique, JumpCor, is introduced to reduce the effects of this motion and compared to other existing techniques. Methods: Different approaches for reducing residual motion artifacts after image realignment were compared both in actual and simulated data: JumpCor, regressing out the estimated subject motion, and regressing out the average white matter, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and global signals and their temporal derivatives. Results: Motion-related signal changes resulting from infrequent large motion were significantly reduced both by regressing out the estimated motion parameters and by JumpCor. Furthermore, JumpCor significantly reduced artifacts and improved the quality of functional connectivity estimates when combined with typical preprocessing approaches. Discussion: Motion-related signal changes resulting from occasional large motion can be effectively corrected using JumpCor and to a certain extent also by regressing out the estimated motion. This technique should reduce the data loss in studies where participants exhibit this type of motion, such as sleeping infants.

Development and validation of the self-management Barriers and Supports Evaluation for working-aged adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: To optimize type 1 diabetes mellitus self-management, experts recommend a person-centered approach, in which care is tailored to meet people's needs and preferences. Existing tools for tailoring type 1 diabetes mellitus education and support are limited by narrow focus, lack of strong association with meaningful outcomes like A1c, or having been developed before widespread use of modern diabetes technology. To facilitate comprehensive, effective tailoring for today's working-aged adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus, we developed and validated the Barriers and Supports Evaluation (BASES). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants 25-64 years of age with type 1 diabetes mellitus were recruited from clinics and a population-based registry. Content analysis of semistructured interviews (n=33) yielded a pool of 136 items, further refined to 70 candidate items on a 5-point Likert scale through cognitive interviewing and piloting. To develop and validate the tool, factor analyses were applied to responses to candidate items (n=392). Additional survey data included demographics and the Diabetes-Specific Quality of Life (QOL) Scale-Revised. To evaluate concurrent validity, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values and QOL scores were regressed on domain scores. RESULTS: Factor analyses yielded 5 domains encompassing 30 items: Learning Opportunities, Costs and Insurance, Family and Friends, Coping and Behavioral Skills, and Diabetes Provider Interactions. Models exhibited good to adequate fit (Comparative Fit Index >0.88 and Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation <0.06). All domains demonstrated significant associations with HbA1c and QOL in the expected direction, except Family and Friends. Coping and Behavioral Skills had the strongest associations with both HbA1c and QOL. CONCLUSIONS: The BASES is a valid, comprehensive, person-centered tool that can tailor diabetes support and education to individuals' needs in a modern practice environment, improving effectiveness and uptake of services. Clinicians could use the tool to uncover patient-specific barriers that limit success in achieving HbA1c goals and optimal QOL.

Positive parenting, parenting stress, and child self-regulation patterns differ across maternal demographic risk.

We examined relations between positive parenting, parenting stress, and children's regulatory abilities across infancy and early childhood. First-time mothers and their infants (N = 682) were recruited prenatally. Mothers belonged to one of three potential demographic risk groups: adolescent mothers (AM), adult low-educated mothers (LEM), and adult high-educated mothers (HEM). Parent-child interactions were observed in the home and scored for positive parenting (at 4, 8, and 18 months) and child self-regulation (at 4, 8, 18, and 30 months). Parenting stress was measured by questionnaire at 6, 12, and 24 months. A multigroup cross-lagged panel model indicated different patterns of effects for adolescent and adult mothers: for AM, positive parenting and parenting stress were related early in infancy, but no relations emerged with regulation until 18 months. For LEM, parenting related to regulation only at later ages, and for HEM, positive parenting, parenting stress, and regulation were associated early in the infant's life but not later. Differing patterns of influence indicate, perhaps, the importance of considering demographic risk and timing of parenting in childhood in relation to child regulatory outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Latino Resident Fathers' Early Involvement with Infants.

Despite the growing number of Latino families in the United States (Passel et al., 2011), Latino fathers are an understudied segment of the population. We examined a subsample of Latino residential fathers (n = 859) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Measures of fathers' generational status and fathering beliefs, including adherence to traditional gender roles and fathering identity salience, were collected at child's birth; father involvement was collected at infant age one year. We tested longitudinal mediations between fathers' generational status, fathering beliefs, and involvement using structural equation modeling. Fathers' generational status impacted the amount of time fathers spend with their children in tasks relating to direct caregiving, but not necessarily cognitive engagement. Findings highlight the importance of considering cultural context in early Latino father involvement.

Cord blood DNA methylation modifications in infants are associated with white matter microstructure in the context of prenatal maternal depression and anxiety.

Maternal and environmental factors influence brain networks and architecture via both physiological pathways and epigenetic modifications. In particular, prenatal maternal depression and anxiety symptoms appear to impact infant white matter (WM) microstructure, leading us to investigate whether epigenetic modifications (i.e., DNA methylation) contribute to these WM differences. To determine if infants of women with depression and anxiety symptoms exhibit epigenetic modifications linked to neurodevelopmental changes, 52 umbilical cord bloods (CBs) were profiled. We observed 219 differentially methylated genomic positions (DMPs; FDR p < 0.05) in CB that were associated with magnetic resonance imaging measures of WM microstructure at 1 month of age and in regions previously described to be related to maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. Genomic characterization of these associated DMPs revealed 143 unique genes with significant relationships to processes involved in neurodevelopment, GTPase activity, or the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Separate regression models for female (n = 24) and male (n = 28) infants found 142 associated DMPs in females and 116 associated DMPs in males (nominal p value < 0.001, R > 0.5), which were annotated to 98 and 81 genes, respectively. Together, these findings suggest that umbilical CB DNA methylation levels at birth are associated with 1-month WM microstructure.

Inhibitory Control in Children 4-10 Years of Age: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Task-Based Observations.

Executive function (EF) is essential to child development, with associated skills beginning to emerge in the first few years of life and continuing to develop into adolescence and adulthood. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which follows a neurodevelopmental timeline similar to EF, plays an important role in the development of EF. However, limited research has examined prefrontal function in young children due to limitations of currently available neuroimaging techniques such as functional resonance magnetic imaging (fMRI). The current study developed and applied a multimodal Go/NoGo task to examine the EF component of inhibitory control in children 4-10 years of age. Cortical activity was measured using a non-invasive and child-friendly neuroimaging technique - functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Children's response accuracy and reaction times were captured during the fNIRS session and compared with responses obtained using the standardized assessments from NIH Toolbox cognition battery. Results showed significant correlations between the behavioral measures during the fNIRS session and the standardized EF assessments, in line with our expectations. Results from fNIRS measures demonstrated a significant, age-independent effect of inhibitory control (IC) in the right PFC (rPFC), and an age-dependent effect in the left orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), consistent with results in previous studies using fNIRS and fMRI. Thus, the new task designed for fNIRS was suitable for examining IC in young children, and results showed that fNIRS measures can reveal prefrontal IC function.

Early microstructure of white matter associated with infant attention.

Early infancy is characterized by rapid brain development that occurs alongside, and in response to, the development of cognitive and behavioral functions, including attention. Infants' ability to orient and sustain attention to stimuli develops in concert with refinement of the orienting network in frontoparietal regions of the brain. Infants (n = 97) underwent magnetic resonance imaging at one-month of age and data were fit to a diffusion tensor imaging model to calculate fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD), as well as to a neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging model to calculate intracellular volume fraction (νic). Infant attention was assessed at six months of age using a dynamic puppet task (Cuevas and Bell, 2014). Infants with higher FA in the corpus callosum and anterior cingulum showed increased orienting behaviors. Our findings indicate that increased microstructure of the white matter tracts in the orienting network may play a role in the early neurodevelopment of attentional orienting behaviors.

Toddler affect with mothers and fathers: the importance of infant attachment.

The present study examined the degree to which toddlers' affect at 20 months during the Parent Ignore Toddler Situation (PITS), a modified still-face paradigm, with mothers and fathers was predicted by attachment (12 and 14 months), temperamental negative reactivity (3, 5, 7, 12, and 14 months), and attachment X negative reactivity during infancy. Parents (N = 135) were predominantly Caucasian (90.3% of mothers and 87.4% of fathers). Results from multi-level models, controlling for baseline affect and current parent sensitivity, indicated several effects involving attachment, but not temperament. An Episode X Avoidant attachment interaction indicated that toddlers who were classified as avoidant with either parent during infancy showed a flattened pattern of positive affect across the PITS episodes compared with those classified as secure. In contrast, a Parent X Ambivalent attachment interaction indicated that toddler negative affect was higher when they had an ambivalent attachment with mothers but not fathers.

Observed Profiles of Infant Temperament: Stability, Heritability, and Associations With Parenting.

Profiles of infant temperament were derived from 990 infants at 6 and 12 months of age using observed measures from the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires measuring parent affect and stress. Four profiles emerged at each age (typical, low negative, withdrawn/inhibited, and positive/active or low reactive) using latent profile analysis. Temperament profiles show some evidence of stability and heritability, particularly for the withdrawn/inhibited group. In addition, profiles relate to parent affect and stress in different ways for mothers and fathers. Results highlight the utility of a person-centered approach to temperamental research and are discussed in relation to developmental patterns of infant temperament.