Early-life neural correlates of behavioral inhibition and anxiety risk

This review showcases the ways that studying the neural basis of Behavioral Inhibition (BI) and maternal anxiety in infancy has advanced our understanding of the developmental pathophysiology of anxiety. We demonstrate that infants with BI and those who have been exposed to maternal anxiety/stress exhibit differences in neural processes associated with bottom-up attention and top-down control, both when we measure the brain at rest and when we measure the brain during stimulus processing. Differences in infant stimulus processing are particularly robust-not only do they emerge in at-risk infants, but they also shape risk trajectories from infancy through adolescence. Throughout this review, we underscore the value in a focus on infancy and early childhood. We also point to several key future directions for this work, including prioritizing a longitudinal, multi-modal approach for studying neurobehavioral profiles of early-life risk. Together, this work demonstrates that neural processes involved in attention and control are central to BI and early-life risk for anxiety across the lifespan.