Longitudinal Changes in Infant Attention-Related Brain Networks and Fearful Temperament

Anxiety disorders may partly stem from altered neurodevelopment of attention-related networks. Neonatal alterations in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) among the dorsal attention network (DAN), frontoparietal network (FPN), salience network (SN), and default mode network (DMN) relate to fearful temperament, a risk marker for anxiety. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the development of these networks beyond the first months of life, particularly in fearful infants. In this study, we examined how changes in these networks during the first 2 years of life relate to fearful temperament.

Using data from the Baby Connectome Project (from 180 infants across 396 sessions), we conducted independent component analysis to extract rsFC among the DMN, SN, DAN, and FPN. Longitudinal modeling characterized 1) age-related changes (slope) in rsFC through age 2 years, 2) the relationship between rsFC change (slope) and fearfulness at age 2 years, and 3) the relationship between rsFC and fearfulness trajectories (slope and intercept) during the first 2 years of life.

Age-related decreases occurred in DAN-FPN and DMN-SN rsFCs. Smaller decreases in DAN-FPN rsFC over time related to greater fear at age 2 and to increases in fearfulness over time. High initial DAN-FPN rsFC and low initial DAN-SN rsFC also related to increasing fearfulness over time.

This study provides the first evidence that changes in attention-related brain networks are related to early-life fearfulness, a robust early-life risk marker of anxiety.