Associations between Amygdala-Prefrontal Functional Connectivity and Age Depend on Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status
Bruce Ramphal1, Mariah DeSerisy2, David Pagliaccio1
1New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Cerebral Cortex Communications
|September 28, 2020
Summary
Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage accelerates brain development in youth, impacting frontolimbic resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC). This accelerated brain maturation is linked to anxiety levels in children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Socioeconomic Factors
Background:
- Early life stress impacts frontolimbic resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) development.
- Socioeconomic disadvantage is a prolonged stressor with less understood effects on brain development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) RSFC in youth.
- To determine if neighborhood SES is a stronger predictor than household SES.
- To examine the relationship between SES-related connectivity patterns and anxiety symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 127 participants aged 5-25.
- Measured neighborhood SES using Area Deprivation Index, neighborhood poverty, and educational attainment.
- Assessed amygdala-vmPFC RSFC and anxiety symptoms.
Main Results:
- Lower neighborhood SES was associated with reduced amygdala-vmPFC RSFC at earlier ages.
- This effect was specific to neighborhood SES, not household SES.
- Connectivity patterns related to neighborhood SES correlated with anxiety levels; deviations from the norm were linked to higher anxiety.
Conclusions:
- Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage accelerates the maturation of amygdala-vmPFC RSFC in youth.
- Pediatric anxiety pathophysiology is influenced by neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics.
- SES is a critical factor in studies of brain development.
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