Cortical Functional Connectivity Evident After Birth and Behavioral Inhibition at Age 2
Chad M Sylvester1, Christopher D Smyser1, Tara Smyser1
1From the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Pediatrics, Radiology, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.
Insights
Infant behavioral inhibition, a risk factor for anxiety, can be predicted by neonatal brain connectivity. Lower functional connectivity in specific brain networks in newborns is linked to higher behavioral inhibition at age two.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Infant temperament, specifically behavioral inhibition, is a significant risk factor for developing anxiety disorders.
- Predicting this risk at birth is challenging due to poorly understood neural underpinnings.
- The ventral attention network's role in novelty processing is relevant to behavioral inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between neonatal functional brain connectivity and behavioral inhibition at age two.
- To determine if functional connectivity predicts behavioral inhibition beyond sociodemographic and familial factors.
- To explore the neural basis of early risk for anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 45 neonates.
- Functional connectivity measured using MRI in neonates.
- Behavioral inhibition assessed at age two using the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment.
- Whole-brain connectivity analyzed for ventral attention, default mode, and salience networks.
- Regression analyses controlled for covariates including sex, social risk, and motion.
Main Results:
- Decreased functional connectivity in three specific neural connections was associated with increased behavioral inhibition at age two.
- One connection involved the ventral attention network (right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex to right temporal-parietal junction).
- Two connections involved the default mode network (medial prefrontal cortex to right superior parietal lobule and left lateral occipital cortex).
Conclusions:
- Neonatal functional connectivity within the ventral attention and default mode networks is linked to behavioral inhibition at age two.
- Findings contribute to understanding the developmental neurobiology of behavioral inhibition and anxiety.
- These results may facilitate early identification and intervention for at-risk infants.
Objective:
The infant temperament behavioral inhibition is a potent risk factor for development of an anxiety disorder. It is difficult to predict risk for behavioral inhibition at birth, however, and the neural underpinnings are poorly understood. The authors hypothesized that neonatal functional connectivity of the ventral attention network is related to behavioral inhibition at age 2 years beyond sociodemographic and familial factors. This hypothesis is supported by the ventral attention network's role in attention to novelty, a key feature of behavioral inhibition.
Method:
Using a longitudinal design (N=45), the authors measured functional connectivity using MRI in neonates and behavioral inhibition at age 2 using the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. Whole-brain connectivity maps were computed for regions from the ventral attention, default mode, and salience networks. Regression analyses related these maps to behavioral inhibition at age 2, covarying for sex, social risk, and motion during scanning.
Results:
Decreased neonatal functional connectivity of three connections was associated with increased behavioral inhibition at age 2. One connection (between the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the right temporal-parietal junction) included the ventral attention network seed, and two connections (between the medial prefrontal cortex and both the right superior parietal lobule and the left lateral occipital cortex) included the default mode network seed.
Conclusions:
Neonatal functional connectivity of the ventral attention and default mode networks is associated with behavioral inhibition at age 2. These results inform the developmental neurobiology of behavioral inhibition and anxiety disorders and may aid in early risk assessment and intervention.
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