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Published on: August 25, 2014
Neonatal neural responses to novelty related to behavioral inhibition at 1 year
Rebecca F Schwarzlose1, Courtney A Filippi2, Michael J Myers1
1Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Insights
Neonatal brain responses to novelty predict later behavioral inhibition (BI), a temperament linked to anxiety. Infants showing stronger early brain responses in certain prefrontal regions later exhibited higher BI. This research offers early insights into anxiety disorder development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Behavioral inhibition (BI) is an early-life temperament characterized by vigilance to novelty.
- BI is a recognized risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders.
- Understanding the early neural correlates of BI is crucial for predicting and potentially mitigating anxiety risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between neonatal brain responses to auditory novelty and subsequent behavioral inhibition (BI) at one year of age.
- To identify specific neonatal brain regions whose blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses to novelty are associated with later BI.
- To explore the network and anatomical profiles of these identified brain regions.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to collect BOLD data from 45 sleeping neonates during an auditory oddball paradigm.
- Behavioral inhibition (BI) was assessed in 27 of these children at 1 year of age using an observational method.
- Whole-brain analyses, corrected for multiple comparisons, were performed to identify novelty-evoked BOLD responses linked to BI scores.
Main Results:
- Forty-six neonatal brain regions showed novelty-evoked BOLD responses associated with 1-year-old BI scores.
- Over half of these regions (52%) were located in the prefrontal cortex, including default mode, frontoparietal, ventromedial, and orbitofrontal areas.
- Two distinct clusters emerged: subcortical/temporal regions showed larger early responses in infants with lower BI, while prefrontal regions showed larger early responses in infants with higher BI.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal brain responses to auditory novelty, particularly in prefrontal regions, are associated with the development of behavioral inhibition (BI) by one year of age.
- These findings suggest that early neural responses to novelty may serve as a biomarker for later anxiety-related temperaments.
- The study provides preliminary insights into the neural mechanisms underlying BI and may inform future research on anxiety disorders.
Abstract:
Behavioral inhibition (BI), an early-life temperament characterized by vigilant responses to novelty, is a risk factor for anxiety disorders. In this study, we investigated whether differences in neonatal brain responses to infrequent auditory stimuli relate to children's BI at 1 year of age. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we collected blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) data from N = 45 full-term, sleeping neonates during an adapted auditory oddball paradigm and measured BI from n = 27 of these children 1 year later using an observational assessment. Whole-brain analyses corrected for multiple comparisons identified 46 neonatal brain regions producing novelty-evoked BOLD responses associated with children's BI scores at 1 year of age. More than half of these regions (n = 24, 52%) were in prefrontal cortex, falling primarily within regions of the default mode or frontoparietal networks or in ventromedial/orbitofrontal regions without network assignments. Hierarchical clustering of the regions based on their patterns of association with BI resulted in two groups with distinct anatomical, network, and response-timing profiles. The first group, located primarily in subcortical and temporal regions, tended to produce larger early oddball responses among infants with lower subsequent BI. The second group, located primarily in prefrontal cortex, produced larger early oddball responses among infants with higher subsequent BI. These results provide preliminary insights into brain regions engaged by novelty in infants that may relate to later BI. The findings may inform understanding of anxiety disorders and guide future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
