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Brain connectivity and socioeconomic status at birth and externalizing symptoms at age 2 years

Bruce Ramphal1, Diana J Whalen2, Jeanette K Kenley3

  • 1New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, NY, United States.

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|August 22, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Early life socioeconomic status (SES) impacts brain connectivity at birth, influencing later mental health. These brain differences may explain how low SES leads to behavioral issues in toddlers, suggesting developmental risks begin in infancy.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Low childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is linked to altered brain development and increased mental illness risk.
  • Neonatal brain connectivity is a predictor of future psychiatric outcomes.
  • Socioeconomic disparities in mental health may originate in early neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between SES at birth and neonatal brain functional connectivity.
  • To determine if observed brain connectivity differences mediate socioeconomic disparities in infant behavioral symptoms.
  • To investigate early predictors of psychopathology in toddlers from varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

Main Methods:

  • Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted on 112 newborns (term and preterm).
  • Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using insurance type, Area Deprivation Index, and a composite score.
  • Seed-based voxelwise linear regression analyzed SES effects on functional connectivity in key brain regions (striatum, mPFC, vlPFC, dACC).

Main Results:

  • Lower SES was significantly associated with altered functional connectivity in the striatum and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC).
  • Striatal connectivity with frontopolar and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediated the link between SES and behavioral inhibition at age 2.
  • Striatum-frontopolar connectivity also mediated the relationship between SES and externalizing symptoms in toddlers.

Conclusions:

  • Neurodevelopmental pathways linking socioeconomic status (SES) and mental illness risk may be established at birth.
  • Early-life brain connectivity differences associated with SES could underlie later behavioral and emotional challenges.
  • Findings highlight the critical role of early socioeconomic environment in shaping brain development and mental health trajectories.

Keywords:
ExternalizingFunctional connectivityNeonatal neuroimagingPrefrontal cortexSocioeconomic statusStriatum

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