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To better understand early brain development in health and disorder, it is critical to accurately segment infant brain magnetic resonance (MR) images into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Deep learning-based methods have achieved state-of-the-art performance; h owever, one of the major limitations is that the learning-based methods may suffer from the multi-site issue, that is, the models trained on a dataset from one site may not be applicable to the datasets acquired from other sites with different imaging protocols/scanners. To promote methodological development in the community, the iSeg-2019 challenge ( http://iseg2019.web.unc.edu ) provides a set of 6-month infant subjects from multiple sites with different protocols/scanners for the participating methods. T raining/validation subjects are from UNC (MAP) and testing subjects are from UNC/UMN (BCP), Stanford University, and Emory University. By the time of writing, there are 30 automatic segmentation methods participated in the iSeg-2019. In this article, 8 top-ranked methods were reviewed by detailing their pipelines/implementations, presenting experimental results, and evaluating performance across different sites in terms of whole brain, regions of interest, and gyral landmark curves. We further pointed out their limitations and possible directions for addressing the multi-site issue. We find that multi-site consistency is still an open issue. We hope that the multi-site dataset in the iSeg-2019 and this review article will attract more researchers to address the challenging and critical multi-site issue in practice.

BackgroundPregnant women may be especially susceptible to negative events (i.e. adversity) related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and negative affective responses to these events (i.e. stress). We examined the latent structure of stress and adversity related to the COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant women, potential antecedents of COVID-19-related stress and adversity in this population, and associations with prenatal depressive symptoms.MethodWe surveyed 725 pregnant women residing in the San Francisco Bay Area in March−May 2020, 343 of whom provided addresses that were geocoded and matched by census tract to measures of community-level risk. We compared their self-reported depressive symptoms to women matched on demographic factors and history of mental health difficulties who were pregnant prior to the pandemic.ResultsWomen who were pregnant during the pandemic were nearly twice as likely to have possible depression than were matched women who were pregnant prior to the pandemic. Individual- and community-level factors tied to socioeconomic inequality were associated with latent factors of COVID-19-related stress and adversity. Beyond objective adversity, subjective stress responses were strongly associated with depressive symptoms during the pandemic.ConclusionsHighlighting the role of subjective responses in vulnerability to prenatal depression and factors that influence susceptibility to COVID-19-related stress, these findings inform the allocation of resources to support recovery from this pandemic and future disease outbreaks. In addition to policies that mitigate disruptions to the environment due to the pandemic, treatments that focus on cognitions about the self and the environment may help to alleviate depressive symptoms in pregnant women.

Element:Ca ratios in the otolith cores of young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) swordfish, Xiphias gladius, were used as natural tracers to predict the nursery origin of subadult and adult swordfish from three foraging grounds in the North Pacific Ocean (NPO). First, the chemistry of otolith cores (proxy for nursery origin) was used to develop nursery‐specific elemental signatures in YOY swordfish. Sagittal otoliths of YOY swordfish were collected from four regional nurseries in the NPO between 2000 and 2005: (1) Central Equatorial North Pacific Ocean (CENPO), (2) Central North Pacific Ocean (CNPO), (3) Eastern Equatorial North Pacific Ocean (EENPO) and (4) Western North Pacific Ocean (WNPO). Calcium (43Ca), magnesium (24Mg), strontium (88Sr) and barium (138Ba) were quantified in the otolith cores of YOY swordfish using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Univariate tests indicated that three element:Ca ratios (Mg:Ca, Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca) were significantly different among nurseries. Overall classification success of YOY swordfish to their nursery of collection was 72% based on quadratic discriminant analysis. Next, element:Ca ratios in the otolith cores of subadults and adults collected from three foraging grounds where targeted fisheries exist (Hawaii, California and Mexico) were examined to calculate nursery‐specific contribution estimates. Mixed‐stock analysis indicated that the CENPO nursery contributed the majority of individuals to all three foraging grounds (Hawaii 45.6 ± 13.2%, California 84.6 ± 10.8% and Mexico 64.5 ± 15.9%). The results from this study highlight the importance of the CENPO nursery and provide researchers and fisheries managers with new information on the connectivity of the swordfish population in the NPO.

Background Maternal depression is prevalent during and following pregnancy and is related to adverse outcomes in offspring. Perinatal depression is associated with risk for difficulties in offspring; however, the mechanisms underlying this association are not clear. We examined whether maternal prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms were associated with infant white matter organization and with behavioral problems in toddlerhood. Methods 37 mother–infant dyads (20 male; ages 5.95–7.66 months) participated in this study. We conducted diffusion MRI with infants during natural sleep. Mothers reported on their prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms at six months postpartum. We calculated fractional anisotropy (FA), radial, axial, and mean diffusivity, and assessed offspring behavioral problems at age 18 months. Results Prenatal depressive symptoms were associated with FA of the corpus callosum; postnatal depressive symptoms were not associated with FA of limbic tracts or corpus callosum segmentations. Higher levels of prenatal depressive symptoms were associated with higher FA and lower radial diffusivity of the corpus callosum genu; FA of this region was positively associated with behavioral problems at age 18 months. Limitations This study had a small sample size; therefore, findings should be replicated. Further, we used retrospective reports of maternal prenatal depression, but validated them in this study. Conclusions Depressive symptoms during pregnancy may affect infant corpus callosum development and, in turn, offspring behaviors. These findings suggest that early maternal stress accelerates infant neurodevelopment in a manner that may increase risk for behavioral problems. Thus, efforts to reduce maternal prenatal depression should be a public health priority.

We examined the association between breastfeeding difficulties and trajectories of bonding in the first 6 months postpartum. Each month for the first 6 months following birth, 121 mothers of newborn infants (age = 23–45 years, M = 32.31 ± 4.79, 57% White, 23% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 9% Multiracial, 1% Black/African American) were invited to complete self-assessments of bonding. At the first postpartum assessment, mothers who intended to breastfeed also reported whether breastfeeding was more difficult than they had anticipated. We conducted linear mixed modelling to test whether early breastfeeding difficulty was associated with bonding trajectories and examined whether effects remained when accounting for postnatal depression symptoms. We found main effects of breastfeeding difficulty (β = − .20, 95% CI [ − .34, − .06]) and postpartum month (β = .13, 95% CI [.07, .20]) on bonding. On average, women who reported breastfeeding difficulty reported lower bonding than women who did not (Cohen’s d = − 0.44, 95% CI [− 0.81, − 0.06]). Additional analyses indicated that, independent of breastfeeding difficulties, women who reported higher postnatal depressive symptoms across the first 6 months postpartum reported lower levels of bonding, on average. Further, within-individual decreases in postnatal depressive symptoms across the first six months were associated with relative improvements in bonding across this period. Our findings suggest that mothers who experience breastfeeding difficulties are at risk for reduced bonding with their infants in the first 6 months after birth. Moreover, while postnatal depressive symptoms are also associated with reduced bonding, the effect of breastfeeding difficulties on bonding persists over and above the effect of postnatal depressive symptoms.

Introduction Elective surgery in the UK came to a halt during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19-related infection and mortality rates in Devon and Cornwall were relatively low, however, urgent elective surgery continued in Plymouth, with the necessary precautions in place. This study aimed to assess outcomes following Ivor Lewis oesophagectomy (ILO) during the pandemic. Methods We prospectively analysed details of 20 consecutive patients who underwent ILO for cancer over a 3-month period between 17 March and 12 June 2020. All patients underwent COVID-19 swab testing 24–48 hours before surgery and during admission when clinically indicated. The primary outcome measure was COVID-19-related morbidity. Secondary outcome measures were non-COVID-19-related morbidity, mortality and length of hospital stay. Results Twenty patients underwent ILO during the study period. All patients identified as white British. No patients tested positive for COVID-19 pre- or postoperatively. There was no COVID-19-related morbidity. There was no in-hospital mortality. Seven patients developed pneumonia, which settled with antibiotics. One patient developed an anastomotic leak, which was treated conservatively. One patient returned to theatre for a para-conduit hernia repair. The median length of hospital stay was nine days. One patient required admission to the high dependency unit for inotropic support for two days. Conclusions ILO can be performed safely during the COVID-19 pandemic with the necessary precautions in place.

OBJECTIVE Early psychosocial deprivation is associated with increased risk for psychopathology, yet few studies have examined outcomes in adolescents. METHOD At baseline (M age 22 months), 136 children from Bucharest, Romania, living in large institutions, were randomized into foster care (FCG) or to care as usual (CAUG). Caregivers completed psychiatric interviews regarding their children (52 FCG; 51 CAUG) at age 16 years (M = 16.67 years; SD = 0.78) to assess past year diagnoses and symptom counts. In addition, never-institutionalized community comparison children (n = 47) were included. RESULTS Ever-institutionalized children had higher rates of meeting criteria for any psychiatric disorder and higher symptom counts of internalizing, externalizing, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and substance use disorders compared to never-institutionalized children (ps < .05). Using intent-to-treat analyses, we found that children in the CAUG had more than twice the rate of psychiatric disorders than children in the FCG (OR = 2.48, 95% CI [1.12, 5.48]). Furthermore, children in foster care who remained in their original placement did not significantly differ in their rates of psychiatric disorders compared to never-institutionalized children. CONCLUSIONS There are many ways children can be separated from parents, including placement into institutional care. The current findings indicate that such placements are associated with significant risks for psychopathology. Moreover, we provide causal evidence for the long-lasting positive effect of foster care in reducing the risk of psychopathology in adolescence, especially among those in stable placements. These results provide strong evidence that early and stable placements into quality foster care may mitigate risk for psychopathology following severe early psychosocial deprivation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective Early life stress (ELS) is associated with increased risk for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adulthood; however, the degree to which ELS is associated with an early onset of MDD (ie, during childhood or adolescence) is not known. In this meta-analysis, we estimated the associations between ELS and the risk for onset of MDD before age 18 years. In addition, we examined the associations between eight specific forms of ELS (ie, sexual abuse, physical abuse, poverty, physical illness/injury, death of a family member, domestic violence, natural disaster, and emotional abuse) and risk for youth-onset MDD. Method We conducted a systematic search in scientific databases for studies that assessed both ELS and the presence or absence of MDD before age 18 years. We identified 62 journal articles with a total of 44,066 unique participants. We assessed study quality using the Newcastle−Ottawa Scale. When heterogeneous effect sizes were detected, we tested whether demographic and/or methodological factors moderated the association between ELS and MDD. Results Using a random-effects meta-analysis, we found that individuals who experienced ELS were more likely to develop MDD before the age of 18 years than were individuals without a history of ELS (odds ratio = 2.50; 95% confidence interval 2.08, 3.00). Separate meta-analyses revealed a range of associations with MDD: whereas some types of ELS (eg, poverty) were not associated with MDD, other types (eg, emotional abuse) were associated more strongly with MDD than was ELS considered more broadly. Conclusion These findings provide important evidence that the adverse effect of ELS on MDD risk manifests early in development, prior to adulthood, and varies by type of ELS.

The amygdala and its connections with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) play central roles in the development of emotional processes. While several studies have suggested that this circuitry exhibits functional changes across the first two decades of life, findings have been mixed – perhaps resulting from differences in analytic choices across studies. Here we used multiverse analyses to examine the robustness of task-based amygdala–mPFC function findings to analytic choices within the context of an accelerated longitudinal design (4-22 years- old; N=98; 183 scans; 1-3 scans/participant). Participants, recruited from the greater Los Angeles area, completed an event-related emotional face (fear, neutral) task. Parallel analyses varying in preprocessing and modeling choices found that age-related change estimates for amygdala reactivity were more robust than task-evoked amygdala–mPFC functional connectivity to varied analytical choices. Specification curves indicated evidence for age-related decreases in amygdala reactivity to faces, though within-participant changes in amygdala reactivity could not be differentiated from between-participant differences. In contrast, amygdala—mPFC functional connectivity results varied across methods much more, and evidence for age-related change in amygdala–mPFC connectivity was not consistent. Generalized psychophysiological interaction (gPPI) measurements of connectivity were especially sensitive to whether a deconvolution step was applied. Our findings demonstrate the importance of assessing the robustness of findings to analysis choices, although the age-related changes in our current work cannot be overinterpreted given low test-retest reliability. Together, these findings highlight both the challenges in estimating developmental change in longitudinal cohorts and the value of multiverse approaches in developmental neuroimaging for assessing robustness of results. (Preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.08.463601v1).Key PointsMultiverse analyses applied to fMRI data are valuable for determining the robustness of findings to varied analytical choicesIn the current study, age-related change estimates for amygdala reactivity were relatively robust to analytical decisions, though gPPI functional connectivity analyses were much more sensitive, leading some estimates to flip signBoth test-retest reliability and robustness to analytical choices are important considerations for developmental research

There is considerable evidence that child maltreatment is associated with significant short- and long-term negative outcomes.1 Protecting children from maltreatment should be a clear priority, and there is substantial opportunity for making improvements in child protective services (CPS) to better serve those they are tasked with protecting. Making progress in this effort requires a closer inspection of the processes in place to identify children in danger of being harmed and of the potential effectiveness of the current system. The article by Kim and Drake2 published in the Journal examined CPS records to create US estimates for child maltreatment onset and recurrence for children from birth to age 11 years. More than one-third of children are estimated to have a screened-in report for investigation or assessment by CPS, and after an initial report is made regarding a child, the probability of a subsequent report is nearly 1 in 2. This alarming rate of maltreatment recurrence points to potential areas for improvement.

Early life stress (ELS) may accelerate frontoamygdala development related to socioemotional processing, serving as a potential source of resilience. Whether this circuit is associated with other proposed measures of accelerated development is unknown. In a sample of young adolescents, we examined the relations among ELS, frontoamygdala circuitry during viewing of emotional faces, cellular aging as measured by telomere shortening, and pubertal tempo. We found that greater cumulative severity of ELS was associated with stronger negative coupling between bilateral centromedial amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a pattern that may reflect more mature connectivity. More negative frontoamygdala coupling (for distinct amygdala subdivisions) was associated with slower telomere shortening and pubertal tempo over 2 years. These potentially protective associations of negative frontoamygdala connectivity were most pronounced in adolescents who had been exposed to higher ELS. Our findings provide support for the formulation that ELS accelerates maturation of frontoamygdala connectivity and provide novel evidence that this neural circuitry confers protection against accelerated biological aging, particularly for adolescents who have experienced higher ELS. Although negative frontoamygdala connectivity may be an adaptation to ELS, frontoamygdala connectivity, cellular aging, and pubertal tempo do not appear to be measures of the same developmental process.

The present study is a systematic review which aims to evaluate the current state of the literature on the effectiveness and cultural adaptations of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for Hispanics. MBIs are widely used psychological therapies, yet little is known about their effectiveness or appropriateness with the Hispanic population, the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the USA. We identified and reviewed twenty-two studies, across the USA, Spain, and South America. Eight of these studies were coded for meta-analysis. Studies were also rated using methodological rigor and cultural adaptation ratings, developed for this study. Culturally adapted MBIs are associated with depression symptom improvement, stress reduction, stress management, and chronic illness management. Results from meta-analysis suggest a moderate to large effect of the interventions on psychiatric distress relative to scores in the comparison group. Findings from this study suggest there is clear evidence that cultural adaptations can improve evidence-based treatment implementation among Hispanics, but more methodologically rigorous studies are needed. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

Irritability is garnering increasing attention in psychiatric research as a transdiagnostic marker of both internalizing and externalizing disorders. These disorders often emerge during adolescence, highlighting the need to examine changes in the brain and in psychological functioning during this developmental period. Adolescents were recruited for a longitudinal study examining the effects of early life stress on the development of psychopathology. The 151 adolescents (73 M/78 F, average age = 11.5 years, standard deviation = 1.1) were scanned with a T1-weighted MRI sequence and parents completed reports of adolescent irritability using the Affective Reactivity Index. Of these 151 adolescents, 94 (46 M/48 F) returned for a second session (average interval = 1.9 years, SD = 0.4). We used tensor-based morphometry to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between irritability and regional brain volume. Irritability was associated with brain volume across a number of regions. More irritable individuals had larger hippocampi, insula, medial orbitofrontal cortex and cingulum/cingulate cortex and smaller putamen and internal capsule. Across the brain, more irritable individuals also had larger volume and less volume contraction in a number of areas that typically decrease in volume over the developmental period studied here, suggesting delayed maturation. These structural changes may increase adolescents’ vulnerability for internalizing and externalizing disorders.

Psychosocial deprivation is associated with the development of socially aberrant behaviors, including signs of disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). In longitudinal studies, signs of DSED have been shown to decrease over time, especially as children are removed from conditions of deprivation. What is less clear is whether signs of DSED in early childhood are associated with poorer functioning in early adolescence, including among children who no longer manifest signs of DSED at this age. In a sample of 136 Romanian children from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), who were exposed to early psychosocial deprivation in the form of institutional care, we examined caregiver-reported (ages 30, 42, and 54 months and 12 years) and observer-rated (age 54 months) signs of DSED. Competent functioning in early adolescence (age 12 years) was assessed across seven domains (i.e., family relationships, peer relationships, academic performance, physical health, mental health, substance use, and risk-taking behavior). A diagnosis of DSED in early childhood was associated with reduced competence in early adolescence. Furthermore, this association was significant even when signs of DSED diminished by age 12 years. We conclude that signs of DSED in early life are associated with reduced likelihood of competent functioning many years later in adolescence, even if signs of the disorder remit.

How parents think and feel about their young children has implications for the parent-child relationship. We examined prospective associations between prenatal descriptions of the unborn child's personality and later parenting behavior.Pregnant women (N = 120; mean age = 26.16, SD = 5.71) were recruited in their third trimester for a longitudinal study. The sample is demographically diverse and predominantly economically disadvantaged. During prenatal interviews, women described their unborn child's personality, from which positive and negative emotion words were coded. Parenting behavior was coded 12 months postpartum (n = 105 for longitudinal analyses).Use of positive and negative words was negatively correlated (r = -.34, p .001). Greater use of positive words to describe the unborn child's personality was associated with higher observed sensitivity, warmth, and engagement during mother-infant interactions, whereas negative words were associated with higher interference and lower levels of sensitivity. Mothers who used anxiety- and/or anger-related words to describe their unborn child, relative to mothers who did not, demonstrated higher interference and lower warmth and sensitivity.Descriptions of a child's personality before the child is born were associated with postnatal parenting behavior. Prenatal interventions that address negative thoughts and feelings regarding the child may be beneficial for promoting positive parenting postnatally.Introducción: La manera como los padres piensan y sienten acerca de sus niños pequeños tiene implicaciones en la relación entre progenitor y niño. Examinamos probables asociaciones entre las descripciones prenatales de la personalidad del niño no nacido y después la conducta de crianza. Métodos: Se reclutaron mujeres embarazadas (N = 120; edad promedio = 26.16, SD = 5.71) dentro de su tercer trimestre para un estudio longitudinal. El grupo muestra es demográficamente diverso y predominantemente en desventaja en cuanto a aspectos económicos. Durante las entrevistas prenatales, las mujeres describieron la personalidad de su niño aún no nacido, a partir de los cual se codificaron palabras emotivas tanto positivas como negativas. La conducta de crianza fue codificada a los 12 meses después del parto (n = 105 para análisis longitudinales). Resultados: El uso de palabras positivas y negativas fue negativamente correlacionado (r = −.34, p.001). Se asoció el mayor uso de palabras positivas para describir la personalidad del niño aún no nacido con una más alta observada sensibilidad, calidez y activa participación durante las interacciones madre-infante mientras que las palabras negativas se asociaron con una más alta interferencia y más bajos niveles de sensibilidad. Las madres que usaron palabras relacionadas con la ansiedad y/o la ira para describir a su niño aún no nacido demostraron una más alta interferencia y una más baja calidez y sensibilidad, en relación con las madres que no usaron tales palabras. Conclusiones: Las descripciones de la personalidad del niño antes de que éste nazca se asociaron con la conducta de crianza posterior al nacimiento. Las intervenciones prenatales que se ocupan de pensamientos y sentimientos negativos acerca del niño pudieran ser beneficiosas para promover una crianza positiva posnatalmente.Ce que les parents pensent de leurs jeunes enfants et ce qu'ils ressentent à leur propos a des implications pour la relation parent-enfant. Nous avons examiné des liens éventuels entre les descriptions prénatales de la personnalité de l'enfant n’étant pas encore né et le comportement de parentage ultérieur. Méthodes: Des femmes enceintes (N = 120; moyenne d’âge = 26s, 16, SD = 5,71) ont été recrutées durant leur troisième trimestre durant une étude longitudinale. L’échantillon est démographiquement divers et composé en sa plus grande partie de mères issues de milieux défavorisés. Durant les entretiens prénatals les femmes ont décrit la personnalité de leur enfant n’étant pas encore né, et à partir de là les émotions positives et négatives ont été codées. Le comportement de parentage a été codé à 12 moins après la naissance (n = 105 pour les analyses longitudinales). Résultats: L'utilisation de mots positifs et négatifs était corrélée négativement (r = −,34, p,001). Une utilisation plus extensive de mots positifs pour décrire la personnalité de l'enfant à naître était liée à une plus grande sensibilité, chaleur et engagement observés durant les interactions mère-enfant alors que les mots négatifs étaient liés à une plus grande interférence et à des niveaux moins élevés de sensibilité. Les mères ayant utilisé des mots liés à l'anxiété et/ou à la colère pour décrire leur enfant à naître, comparées aux mères n'en ayant pas utilisé, ont fait preuve d'une plus grande interférence et de moins de chaleur et de sensibilité.Les descriptions de la personnalité d'un enfant avant que l'enfant ne naisse sont liées au comportement postnatal de parentage. Des interventions prénatales qui portent sur les pensées négatives et les sentiments négatifs concernant l'enfant peuvent s'avérer bénéfiques pour la promotion d'un parentage positive après la naissance.Die Emotionalität im Tonfall bei der Beschreibung von Kindern während der Schwangerschaft ist mit dem späteren Erziehungsverhalten assoziiert Einleitung: Wie Eltern über ihre kleinen Kinder denken und fühlen, hat Auswirkungen auf die Eltern-Kind-Beziehung. Wir untersuchten prospektive Assoziationen zwischen pränatalen Beschreibungen der Persönlichkeit des ungeborenen Kindes und späterem Erziehungsverhalten. Methoden: Für die Längsschnittstudie wurden schwangere Frauen (N = 120; mittleres Alter = 26,16, SD = 5,71) im dritten Trimester rekrutiert. Die Stichprobe ist demographisch vielfältig und überwiegend sozioökonomisch benachteiligt. In pränatalen Interviews sollten die Frauen die Persönlichkeit ihres ungeborenen Kindes beschreiben. Daraus wurden positive und negative Emotionswörter kodiert. 12 Monate postpartum wurde das Erziehungsverhalten kodiert (n = 105 für Längsschnittanalysen). Ergebnisse: Der Gebrauch von positiven und negativen Wörtern war negativ korreliert (r = −.34, p.001). Eine stärkere Verwendung positiver Wörter zur Beschreibung der Persönlichkeit des ungeborenen Kindes war mit höherer beobachteter Sensibilität, Wärme und Engagement während der Mutter-Kind-Interaktionen assoziiert, während negative Wörter mit höherer Interferenz und geringerer Sensibilität assoziiert waren. Mütter, die ängstliche und/oder ärgerliche Wörter zur Beschreibung ihres ungeborenen Kindes verwendeten, zeigten im Vergleich zu Müttern, die dies nicht taten, höhere Interferenz sowie geringere Wärme und Sensibilität. Schlussfolgerung: Beschreibungen der kindlichen Persönlichkeit vor der Geburt des Kindes waren mit dem postnatalen Erziehungsverhalten assoziiert. Pränatale Interventionen, die auf negative Gedanken und Gefühle in Bezug auf das Kind abzielen, könnten für die Förderung eines positiven Elternverhaltens nach der Geburt von Vorteil sein.妊娠中におなかの子についての描写する情緒的な語調は、出生後の子育てと関連 性がある はじめに:親が幼い子どもについてどのように考え、どのように感じているかは、親-子の関係性に影響する。妊娠中におなかの子どもの性格についてのどのように描写するかと産後の育児行動と予想される関連性について調べた。 方法:妊娠中の女性 (N = 120;平均年齢 = 26.16、SD = 5.71) を、縦断研究のために妊娠後期に募集した。サンプルは人口統計学的に多様であり、貧困のため恵まれない傾向にあった。出生前訪問時に面接を行い、女性におなかの子どもの性格を描写してもらい、ポジティブな感情表現の単語とネガティブな感情表現の単語にコーディングした。産後12か月に、育児行動をコーディングした (縦断的分析ではn = 105) 。 結果:ポジティブな単語とネガティブな単語は負の相関関係にあった (r = -.34,p.001) 。おなかの子どもの性格を描写する時に肯定的な言葉の使用が多いことは、母-乳幼児の相互作用中に観察される感受性、温かさ、関与がより強いことと関連していた。一方で、否定的な言葉の使用が多いことは、より干渉的で、感受性がより低いことと関連していた。不安及び/または怒りに関連する言葉を使っておなかの子どもについて描写した母親は、そうでなかった母親と比較して、より干渉的で、温かさや感受性が低いことが示された。 結論:出生前のおなかの子どもの性格についての描写と、出生後の子育て行動とに関連性を認めた。おなかの子どもについての否定的な考えや感情への出生前の介入は、出生後の肯定的な子育てを促進するために有益である可能性が示された。.研究简介:父母对年幼孩子的看法和感受会影响亲子关系。我们研究了对胎儿性格的产前描述和产后育儿行为之间的前瞻性关联。 研究方法:孕妇 (N = 120;平均年龄 = 26.16, SD = 5.71) 在妊娠晚期被招募进行纵向研究。该样本在人口统计学上具有多样性, 并且多数处于经济劣势。在产前访谈中, 孕妇描述了她们胎儿的性格, 从中编码了积极的、消极的情绪词。对产后12个月的育儿行为进行编码 (纵向分析n = 105) 。 研究结果:积极词语和消极词语的使用呈负相关 (r = -.34, p.001) 。在母婴互动过程中, 更多地使用积极词语来描述胎儿的性格与观察到的更高的敏感度、热情度和参与度相关, 而消极词语的使用则与更高的干扰度和更低的敏感度相关。使用焦虑和、或愤怒等相关词语来描述胎儿的母亲, 与没有使用相关词语的母亲相比, 表现出更高的干扰度、更低的热情度和敏感度。 研究结论:在孩子出生前对孩子性格的描述与出生后的育儿行为有关。解决对孩子的负面想法和感受的产前干预可能有助于促进产后的积极育儿。.العلاقة بين النغمة العاطفية في وصف الأطفال أثناء الحمل وتربيتهم لاحقاً مقدمة: تتأثر العلاقة بين الوالدين والطفل بكيفية تفكيرهم وشعورهم تجاه أطفالهم الصغار. تناولت الدراسة الارتباطات المحتملة بين أوصاف ما قبل الولادة لشخصية الطفل الذي لم يولد بعد وسلوك التربية الوالدية في وقت لاحق. منهج البحث: اشتركت مجموعة من النساء الحوامل في الدراسة (N = 120؛ متوسط العمر = 26.16، SD = 5.71) في الثلث الثالث من الحمل من خلال دراسة طولية. العينة كانت متنوعة ديموغرافيا ومن مستوى اقتصادي منخفض نسبياً. وخلال المقابلات السابقة للولادة، وصفت النساء شخصية أطفالهن قبل الولادة، والتي تم من خلالها ترميز كلمات المشاعر الإيجابية والسلبية. كما تم ترميز سلوك التربية الوالدية بعد 12 شهرا (n = 105). النتائج: كان استخدام الكلمات الإيجابية والسلبية مترابطا بشكل سلبي (.34, p.001-r = ). ارتبط الاستخدام الأكبر للكلمات الإيجابية لوصف شخصية الطفل بزيادة الحساسية والدفء والمشاركة أثناء التفاعلات بين الأم والرضيع في حين ارتبطت الكلمات السلبية بتداخل أعلى ومستويات أقل من الحساسية. وأظهرت الأمهات اللاتي استخدمن كلمات متعلقة بالقلق أو الغضب لوصف أطفالهن ، مقارنة بالأمهات اللاتي لم يفعلن ذلك، تدخلا أعلى ودفء وحساسية أقل. الاستنتاجات: ارتبطت أوصاف شخصية الطفل قبل ولادته بسلوك التربية بعد الولادة. وبذلك قد تكون التدخلات السابقة للولادة التي تتناول الأفكار والمشاعر السلبية المتعلقة بالطفل مفيدة لتعزيز التربية الإيجابية بعد الولادة.

Maternal stress exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic may have transgenerational effects, adversely affecting both the pregnant woman and her offspring. Therefore, there is an urgent need to characterize the coping styles and psychosocial distress of pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic to help mitigate lasting sequalae on both mothers and infants. Here we use latent profile analysis to examine patterns of behavioral coping strategies associated with risk and resiliency to adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Leveraging a large U.S. sample of perinatal women (N = 2,876 pregnant women, N = 1,536 postpartum women), we identified four behavioral phenotypes of coping strategies: (1) passive-coping, characterized by primarily engaging in high levels of screen time, social media use, and eating comfort foods; (2) active-coping, characterized by primarily engaging in high levels of self-care, social support, and limiting media exposure; (3) low-coping, characterized by low levels of all coping strategies; (4) high-coping, characterized by high levels of both active and passive coping strategies. Critically, we found that passive-coping phenotypes were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety and worsening stress and energy levels in both pregnant and postpartum women. Supplementing passive coping strategies with high levels of active coping strategies (the high-coping profile) lessened adverse outcomes in postpartum women. These behavioral coping phenotypes highlight potential risk and protective factors for perinatal women, which is critical in helping to identify and treat perinatal women most at risk for experiencing mood and affective disorders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Adequate perinatal care is essential for maternal and infant health. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is potentially the largest natural disruption to perinatal care in recent history, but these disruptions have yet to be characterized in a rigorous and systematic manner. Our goal was to document COVID-19 induced disruptions to perinatal care across the United States (US) using analyses sensitive to the temporal and geographical variability of the pandemic, and to examine the impact of these healthcare disruptions on maternal mental health. Methods: We performed an observational cross-sectional study of 1,922 postpartum and 3,868 pregnant individuals during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Perinatal individuals were recruited from 15 academic institutions across the US, resulting in a geographically diverse sample. We conducted (1) descriptive analyses on the prevalence and timing of perinatal care disruptions, (2) group difference analyses to compare perinatal care disruptions depending on when and where individuals gave birth, (3) cross correlations to assess the temporal linkage between perinatal care disruptions and COVID-19 infection rates, and (4) hierarchical linear regressions to evaluate the impact of prenatal care and birth protocol disruptions on maternal psychological health. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered perinatal care across the US, both through restriction of in-person support and by shifting the focus of care. These changes occurred unevenly over time and across geographic locations. Changes in COVID-19 infection rates explained 65 to 78% of the variance in perinatal care disruptions from August 2019 to August 2020. Moreover, disruptions to perinatal care were robustly associated with heightened psychological distress in mothers, even after controlling for mental health history, number of pregnancy complications, and general stress about the COVID-19 pandemic. Interpretation: Our analyses reveal widespread disruptions to perinatal care across the US that fluctuated depending on where and when individuals gave birth, demonstrating reactivity and elasticity of the US healthcare system. In addition to influencing health outcomes, disruptions to perinatal care may also exacerbate mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding Information: This research was supported by the NYU COVID-19 Research Catalyst rant, R34DA050287-S1, R34DA050287-S2, R34DA050254-01S2, R01MH126468, R01MH125870, the Nathaniel Wharton Fund, the Columbia University Population Research Center, R34DA050255, R34DA050255-01S2, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers UL1TR003015 and KL2TR003016, the University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science COVID-19 Research Award, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing Internal Grants Program, Sarah P. Farrell Legacy Research Endowment-Virginia Commonwealth University, 5R03HD096141-02, R01HD085990, R34DA050283-01S2, the USC Center for the Changing Family, the Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences, R34DA050291, R01MH119070, R01MH117177, R34 DA050272-01S1, R01 MH113883, R01 DA046224, R21 MH111978, and R21 HD090493, R37 MH10149, UH3OD023279, and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Grant UL1TR001881 Declaration of Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: This study has received Institutional Review Board approval from theNYU Langone Health IRB as well as the local IRBs at each data collection site. All data was collected in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration.

Highlights • Non-human animal research shows stress alters amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connectivity. • It is unclear how prenatal stress may alter human infant connectivity. • Prenatal stress was associated with decreased amygdala–mPFC functional connectivity. • Prenatal stress was associated with increased amygdala–mPFC structural connectivity. • This work provides insight into how stress contributes to neurodevelopmental risk., Stressful experiences are linked to neurodevelopment. There is growing interest in the role of stress in the connectivity between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a circuit that subserves automatic emotion regulation. However, the specific timing and mechanisms that underlie the association between stress and amygdala–mPFC connectivity are unclear. Many factors, including variations in fetal exposure to maternal stress, appear to affect early developing brain circuitry. However, few studies have examined the associations of stress and amygdala–mPFC connectivity in early life, when the brain is most plastic and sensitive to environmental influence. In this longitudinal pilot study, we characterized the association between prenatal stress and amygdala–mPFC connectivity in young infants (approximately age 5 weeks). A final sample of 33 women who provided data on preconception and prenatal stress during their pregnancy returned with their offspring for a magnetic resonance imaging scan session, which enabled us to characterize amygdala–mPFC structural and functional connectivity as a function of prenatal stress. Increased prenatal stress was associated with decreased functional connectivity and increased structural connectivity between the amygdala and mPFC. These results provide insight into the influence of prenatal maternal stress on the early development of this critical regulatory circuitry.

Knowledge and understanding about the impact of cumulative adverse experiences on the health and wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults has rapidly expanded over the past 30 years. Despite the invaluable attention and support this proliferation has drawn to the importance of early childhood experiences, we believe that it is time to move beyond broad indices of risk and toward more specific and individualized understanding of how risk exposures are linked to clinical outcomes in young children. Within infant and early childhood mental health, there is a need for greater specificity in linking adverse caregiving experiences in early life to psychopathology in children. We highlight a framework distinguishing experiences of trauma from experiences of deprivation and use the examples of posttraumatic stress disorder and reactive attachment disorder to demonstrate how greater specificity in our understanding of early adverse caregiving can lead to more accurate and targeted diagnosis and treatment for young children. Both researchers and clinicians benefit from an approach to gain a greater appreciation of the links between specific types of experiences and outcomes in the children that we serve.El conocimiento y la comprensión acerca del impacto de experiencias adversas acumuladas sobre la salud y bienestar de los niños, adolescentes y adultos se ha expandido rápidamente durante los pasados 30 años. A pesar de la inestimable atención y apoyo que esta proliferación ha derivado con respecto a la importancia de las experiencias de la temprana niñez, creemos que es tiempo de pasar más allá de los amplios índices de riesgo hacia una comprensión más específica e individualizada de cómo el hecho de estar expuesto a riesgo se conecta con los resultados clínicos en niños pequeños. Dentro el camp de la salud mental infantil, hay una necesidad por mayor especificidad para conectar las adversas experiencias de prestación de cuidado en la temprana parte de la vida con la sicopatología en los niños. Enfatizamos un marco de trabajo que distingue las experiencias de trauma de las experiencias de privaciones y uso de ejemplos del trastorno de estrés postraumático y el trastorno reactivo de la vinculación para demostrar hasta qué punto la especificidad en nuestra comprensión del temprano cuidado adverso puede llevar a un diagnóstico y tratamiento más acertado y dirigido para los niños pequeños. Tanto los investigadores como el personal clínico se benefician de un acercamiento para obtener una mayor apreciación de os lazos entre tipos específicos y resultados en los niños a quienes les servimos.Les connaissances et la compréhension sur l'impact d'une accumulation d'expériences adverses sur la santé et le bien-être des enfants, des adolescents et des adultes se sont rapidement étendues au fil des 30 dernières années. En dépit de l'attention précieuse et du soutien de cette prolifération qui ont montré l'importance des expériences de la petite enfance, nous pensons qu'il est temps de passer au-delà des indices généraux de risque pour désormais privilégier une compréhension plus spécifique et individualisée de la manière dont les expositions au risqué sont liées aux résultats cliniques chez les jeunes enfants. Au sein de la santé mentale du nourrisson, il est nécessaire d'avoir une plus grande spécificité dans le lien entre les expériences adverses de modes de soin au début de la vie à la psychopathologie chez les enfants. Nous mettons en lumière une structure qui distingue les expériences de trauma d'expériences de privation et utilisons les exemples du trouble de stress posttraumatique et du trouble de l'attachement réactif afin de démontrer la manière dont une plus grande spécificité dans notre compréhension peut mener à un diagnostic et à un traitement plus précis et plus ciblés pour les jeunes enfants. A la fois les chercheurs et les cliniciens bénéficient d'une approche qui nous fait gagner une plus grande appréciation des liens entre les types spécifiques d'expériences et les résultats chez les enfants que nous servons.Widrige Bedingungen im frühen Leben: Die Unterscheidung zwischen Trauma und Deprivation bei kleinen Kindern Das Wissen um die Auswirkungen kumulativer widriger Erfahrungen auf die Gesundheit und das Wohlbefinden von Kindern, Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen hat in den letzten 30 Jahren rapide zugenommen. Trotz der unschätzbaren Aufmerksamkeit und Unterstützung, die dieser Wissenszuwachs der Bedeutung frühkindlicher Erfahrungen entgegengebracht hat, glauben wir, dass es an der Zeit ist, über breite Risikoindizes hinaus zu einem spezifischeren und individuelleren Verständnis darüber zu gelangen, wie Risikoexpositionen mit klinischen Outcomes bei kleinen Kindern zusammenhängen. Im Bereich der psychischen Gesundheit von Säuglingen besteht ein Bedarf an größerer Spezifität bei der Verknüpfung von negativen Erfahrungen mit primären Bezugspersonen im frühen Leben und der kindlichen Psychopathologie. Wir legen unseren Fokus auf einen inhaltlichen Rahmen, der traumatische Erfahrungen von Deprivationserfahrungen unterscheidet, und zeigen anhand der Beispiele posttraumatische Belastungsstörung und reaktive Bindungsstörung, wie eine größere Spezifität in unserem Verständnis früher widriger Erfahrungen mit primären Bezugspersonen zu einer genaueren und gezielteren Diagnose und Behandlung von Kleinkindern führen kann. Sowohl Forschende als auch Praktizierende profitieren von dem Ansatz, die Zusammenhänge zwischen bestimmten Arten von Erfahrungen und Outcomes bei den Kindern, die wir behandeln, besser zu verstehen.幼少児期の有害な養育:幼児における心的外傷と剥奪の区別 児童、青年、成人の健康と幸福に対する累積有害体験の影響についての知識と理解は、過去30年間で急速に広がっている。この広がりが幼児期の経験の重要性にかけがえのない注意と支援を引き寄せているにもかかわらず、リスクに晒されるということが幼児の臨床結果にどのように関連しているのかということに対して、幅広いリスク指標を越えて、より特定的で個別の理解へと進むべき時であると確信している。乳幼児精神保健において、幼少期の有害な養育環境を児童の精神病理学と関連付けるには、より高い特定性が必要である。我々は、心的外傷体験を剥奪体験と区別する枠組みを明らかにし、心的外傷後ストレス障害と反応性愛着障害を使って、我々の早期の有害な養育の理解に関してより高い特定性が、いかに幼児に対する正確で的を絞った診断と治療を導くことができるかということを示す。研究者と臨床家の両者が、扱う子どもたちの特定のタイプの体験と結果の関連性より高い理解を得るための方法から利益を得る。.在过去的30年里, 人们对累积的不良经历作用于儿童、青少年和成人的健康福祉影响的认识和理解迅速增加。尽管儿童早期经历的重要性受到了宝贵的关注和支持, 但我们认为, 现在是时候超越广义风险指标, 更具体和个性化地理解风险暴露与幼儿临床结果的关系。在婴儿心理健康方面, 需要更具体地将早期生活中的不良护理经历与儿童的精神病理学联系起来。我们强调区分创伤经历和剥夺经历的观点, 并以创伤后应激障碍和反应性依恋障碍为例, 来证明我们对早期不良护理的理解中, 更高的特异性可以为幼儿提供更准确、更有针对性的诊断和治疗。研究人员和临床医生都从一种方法中受益, 这种方法可以更深入地了解我们所服务的儿童其特定类型的经历和结果之间的联系。.تقديم الرعاية السلبية في مرحلة مبكرة من الحياة: التمييز بين الصدمات والحرمان لدى الأطفال الصغار اتسع نطاق المعرفة والفهم بشأن أثر التجارب السلبية التراكمية على صحة ورفاهية الأطفال والمراهقين والبالغين على مدى السنوات الثلاثين الماضية. وعلى الرغم من الاهتمام والدعم الذي جذبه هذا التراكم في المعرفة إلى أهمية تجارب الطفولة المبكرة، فإننا نعتقد أن الوقت قد حان لتجاوز المؤشرات العامة للمخاطر ونتجه نحو فهم أكثر تحديداً وفردية لكيفية ارتباط التعرض للمخاطر بالنتائج السريرية لدى الأطفال الصغار. وفي مجال الصحة النفسية للرضع، هناك حاجة إلى مزيد من التحديد في ربط تجارب تقديم الرعاية السلبية في الطفولة المبكرة بطب الأمراض النفسية لدى الأطفال. نسلط الضوء على إطار يميز تجارب الصدمة عن تجارب الحرمان ونستخدم أمثلة اضطراب الإجهاد اللاحق للصدمة واضطراب التعلق التفاعلي لإظهار كيف أن تحديد طبيعة فهمنا لتقديم الرعاية السلبية المبكرة يمكن أن تؤدي إلى تشخيص وعلاج أكثر دقة واستهدافاً للأطفال الصغار. يستفيد كل من الباحثين والأطباء من اتباع منهج للحصول على تقدير أكبر للعلاقة بين أنواع محددة من التجارب والنتائج في الأطفال الذين نخدمهم.

The ability to learn from experience is critical for determining when to take risks and when to play it safe. However, we know little about how within-person state changes, such as an individual’s degree of neurophysiological arousal, may impact the ability to learn which risks are most likely to fail vs succeed. To test this, we used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design to pharmacologically manipulate neurophysiological arousal and assess its causal impact on risk-related learning and performance. Eighty-seven adults (45% female, Mage = 20.1 ± 1.46 years) took either propranolol (n = 42), a beta-adrenergic receptor blocker that attenuates sympathetic nervous system–related signaling, or a placebo (n = 45). Participants then completed the Balloon Emotional Learning Task, a risk-taking task wherein experiential learning is necessary for task success. We found that individuals on propranolol, relative to placebo, earned fewer points on the task, suggesting that they were less effective risk-takers. This effect was mediated by the fact that those on propranolol made less optimal decisions in the final phase of the task on trials with the greatest opportunity for advantageous risk-taking. These findings highlight that neurophysiological arousal supports risk-related learning and, in turn, more advantageous decision-making and optimal behavior under conditions of risk.

* Abbreviations: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease CPS — : child protective services Although the public health benefits of social distancing, isolation, and quarantines are well-established and essential for reducing risk of transmitting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), there are also likely consequences for these practices when considering the impact of violence in the home. Reports of increased domestic violence after quarantine orders in China have revealed the interpersonal violence risks of isolation. Indeed, in a recent review of the psychological impact of quarantine published in The Lancet , the authors indicated increased anger, confusion, and posttraumatic stress symptoms, as well as evidence of increases in substance use, in those subjected to quarantine.1 These kinds of dysregulated emotions and substance use can increase violent behavior, especially within the family. Children’s exposure to intimate partner violence, whether directly witnessed or overheard, is harmful and may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder and other serious emotional and behavioral problems.2 Furthermore, intimate partner violence and child abuse often co-occur,3 … Address correspondence to Kathryn L. Humphreys, PhD, EdM, Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203. E-mail: k.humphreys{at}vanderbilt.edu

Gastrointestinal and mental disorders are highly comorbid, and animal models have shown that both can be caused by early adversity (e.g., parental deprivation). Interactions between the brain and bacteria that live within the gastrointestinal system (the microbiome) underlie adversity–gastrointestinal–anxiety interactions, but these links have not been investigated during human development. In this study, we utilized data from a population of 344 youth (3–18 years old) who were raised with their biological parents or were exposed to early adverse caregiving experiences (i.e., institutional or foster care followed by international adoption) to explore adversity–gastrointestinal–anxiety associations. In Study 1, we demonstrated that previous adverse care experiences were associated with increased incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms in youth. Gastrointestinal symptoms were also associated with concurrent and future anxiety (measured across 5 years), and those gastrointestinal symptoms mediated the adversity–anxiety association at Time 1. In a subsample of children who provided both stool samples and functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (Study 2, which was a “proof-of-principle”), adversity was associated with changes in diversity (both alpha and beta) of microbial communities, and bacteria levels (adversity-associated and adversity-independent) were correlated with prefrontal cortex activation to emotional faces. Implications of these data for supporting youth mental health are discussed.

Attachment security may be a mechanism by which exposure to early life adversity affects subsequent generations. We used a prospective cohort design to examine this possibility in a convenience sample of 124 women (age = 23–45 years, M = 32.32 [SD = 4.83] years; 57.3% White, 22.6% Asian) who provided self-reports of attachment style during pregnancy using the Attachment Style Questionnaire, of whom 96 (age = 28–50 years, M = 36.67 [SD = 4.90] years; 60.4% White, 19.8% Asian) were reassessed when their child was preschool-age (M = 4.38 [SD = 1.29] years). Women self-reported on their own childhood maltreatment severity and their child’s current emotional and behavioral problems using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5–5, respectively. Maternal childhood maltreatment severity was associated with less secure, and more avoidant and anxious attachment. Mediation analyses revealed further that less secure maternal attachment, but not avoidant or anxious attachment, mediated the associations between maternal childhood maltreatment and offspring emotional and behavioral problems. These findings suggest that improving maternal attachment security, which can be identified even prior to the child’s birth, is an important target to consider for intervention efforts aimed at minimizing adverse intergenerational effects of early life adversity.

Background There are significant sex differences in human physiology and disease; the genomic sources of these differences, however, are not well understood. During puberty, a drastic neuroendocrine shift signals physical changes resulting in robust sex differences in human physiology. Here, we explore how shifting patterns of DNA methylation may inform these pathways of biological plasticity during the pubertal transition. In this study we analyzed DNA methylation (DNAm) in saliva at two time points across the pubertal transition within the same individuals. Our purpose was to compare two domains of DNAm patterns that may inform processes of sexual differentiation 1) sex related sites, which demonstrated differences between males from females and 2) time related sites in which DNAm shifted significantly between timepoints. We further explored the correlated network structure sex and time related DNAm networks and linked these patterns to pubertal stage, assays of salivary testosterone, a reliable diagnostic of free, unbound hormone that is available to act on target tissues, and overlap with androgen response elements. Results Sites that differed by biological sex were largely independent of sites that underwent change across puberty. Time-related DNAm sites, but not sex-related sites, formed correlated networks that were associated with pubertal stage. Both time and sex DNAm networks reflected salivary testosterone levels that were enriched for androgen response elements, with sex-related DNAm networks being informative of testosterone levels above and beyond biological sex later in the pubertal transition. Conclusions These results inform our understanding of the distinction between sex- and time-related differences in DNAm during the critical period of puberty and highlight a novel linkage between correlated patterns of sex-related DNAm and levels of salivary testosterone.

The quantity and quality of the language input that infants receive from their caregivers affects their future language abilities; however, it is unclear how variation in this input relates to preverbal brain circuitry. The current study investigated the relation between naturalistic language input and the functional connectivity (FC) of language networks in human infancy using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). We recorded the naturalistic language environments of five- to eight-month-old male and female infants using the Linguistic ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system and measured the quantity and consistency of their exposure to adult words (AWs) and adult–infant conversational turns (CTs). Infants completed an rsfMRI scan during natural sleep, and we examined FC among regions of interest (ROIs) previously implicated in language comprehension, including the auditory cortex, the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG). Consistent with theory of the ontogeny of the cortical language network (Skeide and Friederici, 2016), we identified two subnetworks posited to have distinct developmental trajectories: a posterior temporal network involving connections of the auditory cortex and bilateral STG and a frontotemporal network involving connections of the left IFG. Independent of socioeconomic status (SES), the quantity of CTs was uniquely associated with FC of these networks. Infants who engaged in a larger number of CTs in daily life had lower connectivity in the posterior temporal language network. These results provide evidence for the role of vocal interactions with caregivers, compared with overheard adult speech, in the function of language networks in infancy.

Early institutional rearing is associated with increased risk for subsequent peer relationship difficulties, but the underlying mechanisms have not been identified. Friendship characteristics, social behaviors with peers, normed assessments of social problems, and social cue use were assessed in 142 children (mean age = 10.06, SD = 2.02; range 7–13 years), of whom 67 were previously institutionalized (PI), and 75 were raised by their biological families. Anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, often elevated among PI children, were examined as potential mediators of PI status and baseline social functioning and longitudinal follow-ups (2 and 4 years later). Twenty-seven percent of PI children fell above the Child Behavior Checklist Social Problems cutoff. An examination of specific social behaviors with peers indicated that PI and comparison children did not differ in empathic concern or peer social approach, though parents were more likely to endorse aggression/overarousal as a reason that PI children might struggle with friendships. Comparison children outperformed PI children in computerized testing of social cue use learning. Finally, across these measures, social difficulties exhibited in the PI group were mediated by ADHD symptoms with predicted social problems assessed 4 years later. These findings show that, when PI children struggle with friendships, mechanisms involving attention and behavior regulation are likely contributors.

Socioeconomic status (SES), often conceptualized as income, education, or occupation, is associated with risk for disease morbidity and psychopathology. Recent research has focused on the potential biological mechanisms linking lower SES and poor outcomes; much of this work has examined the relationship between SES and markers of systemic inflammation. The strength of the estimated association between SES and inflammatory markers varies widely across individual studies. Thus, we used meta-analytic techniques to quantify the magnitude of this relationship. To accomplish this, PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for papers that reported on SES and two commonly measured systemic inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Peer-reviewed, empirical papers conducted in non-patient populations were included. Data from 43 papers (N = 111,156) reporting a total of 63 relevant effect sizes were included in analyses. SES, broadly defined, was significantly associated with both levels of CRP (Z = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.09–0.16) and IL-6 (Z = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.12–0.18); individuals with lower SES showed higher levels of systemic inflammation. Subanalyses demonstrated that studies operationalizing SES as either levels of income or educational attainment also found significant associations with both CRP and IL-6. Moderator analyses revealed that effect sizes varied based on sample characteristics and analysis approaches. Lower SES is associated with significantly elevated levels of inflammatory markers of disease risk. Thus, pro-inflammatory pathways are likely an important mechanism translating socioeconomic inequalities into mental and physical health disparities.

Although the study of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) in early childhood has received considerable attention, there is emerging interest in RAD that presents in school age children and adolescents. We examined the course of RAD signs from early childhood to early adolescence using both variable-centered (linear mixed modeling) and person-centered (growth mixture modeling) approaches. One-hundred twenty-four children with a history of institutional care from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized controlled trial of foster care as an alternative to institutional care, as well as 69 community comparison children were included in the study. While foster care was associated with steep reductions in RAD signs across development, person-centered approaches indicated that later age of placement into families and greater percent time in institutional care were each associated with prolonged elevated RAD signs. Findings suggest the course of RAD is variable but substantially influenced by early experiences.

Despite the high prevalence and substantial costs of early life stress (ELS), the mechanisms through which ELS confers risk for psychopathology are poorly understood, particularly among youth who are in an earlier stage of the transition through puberty. We sought to advance our understanding of the link between ELS and psychopathology by testing whether rumination mediates the relation between ELS and symptoms of psychopathology in youth in the early stages of puberty, and whether sex moderates this mediation. We assessed levels of ELS, both brooding and reflection subtypes of rumination, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in 170 youth in the early stages of puberty (56% girls) ages 9–13 years. Brooding, but not reflection, mediated the relation between ELS and both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Importantly, however, sex moderated the relation among ELS, brooding, and symptoms. Specifically, brooding mediated the relation between ELS and both internalizing and externalizing symptoms for girls, but not for boys. Findings support the formulation that brooding is a mechanism linking ELS to multiple forms of behavioral and emotional problems exclusively in girls in the early stages of puberty.

Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in linking specific forms of early life stress (ELS) to specific neurobiological markers, including alterations in the morphology of stress-sensitive brain regions. We used a person-centered, multi-informant approach to investigate the associations of specific constellations of ELS with hippocampal and amygdala volume in a community sample of 211 9- to 13-year-old early adolescents. Further, we compared this approach to a cumulative risk model of ELS, in which ELS was quantified by the total number of stressors reported. Using latent class analysis, we identified three classes of ELS (labeled typical/low, family instability, and direct victimization) that were distinguished by experiences of family instability and victimization. Adolescents in the direct victimization class had significantly smaller hippocampal volume than did adolescents in the typical/low class; ELS classes were not significantly associated with amygdala volume. The cumulative risk model of ELS had a poorer fit than did the person-centered model; moreover, cumulative ELS was not significantly associated with hippocampal or amygdala volume. Our results underscore the utility of taking a person-centered approach to identify alterations in stress-sensitive brain regions based on constellations of ELS, and suggest victimization is specifically associated with hippocampal hypotrophy observed in early adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Irritability is a common feature of many psychiatric disorders, including both externalizing and internalizing disorders. There is little research, however, examining associations between irritability and these symptom domains, particularly during the important developmental period of adolescence, characterized by sex differences in the prevalence of disorders. METHOD: We examined the cross-sectional associations between irritability, measured with the Affective Reactivity Index, and symptoms of externalizing and internalizing domains of psychopathology, measured with the Youth Self Report, in a volunteer community sample of 183 9- to-13-year-old (M=11.39, SD=1.07) boys and girls (37% White/Caucasian, 8% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 8% African American, 2% Native American, 2% Pacific Islander, 28% Other, and 3% not reported). A subset of the sample (n=112) provided data at a two-year follow-up, used to extend these associations. RESULTS: There were no sex differences in levels of irritability; however, the associations between irritability and symptom domains were moderated by sex. Specifically, in girls, irritability was associated equally with externalizing and internalizing symptoms. In contrast, in boys, irritability was associated more strongly with externalizing symptoms than with internalizing symptoms. Thus, across both sexes irritability was moderately associated with externalizing symptoms, but the association between irritability and internalizing symptoms was stronger in girls than in boys. At follow-up, sex moderated the association between baseline irritability and later externalizing and internalizing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that irritability is associated with both externalizing and internalizing symptoms in early adolescence, and that irritability is associated with internalizing symptoms more strongly in girls than in boys.

The longevity of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) remains unresolved. The use of fin spines and sagittal otoliths for age reading has led to unconfirmed longevity estimates near 20–30 years. Age validation has been elusive because large individuals are uncommonly caught, and a technique that can be applied to structures that provide estimates of age was absent. The use of otolith chemical signatures has been limited by sagittal otoliths that are very small — whole otolith mass of adult blue marlin rarely exceeds 10 mg for the largest fish. Recent advances in the detection limits of radiocarbon (14C) with accelerator mass spectrometry — coupled with recently acquired knowledge of marine bomb 14C signals spanning the tropical Pacific Ocean — have led to an opportunity to age blue marlin from small amounts of otolith material. In this study, otoliths from a recently collected 1245 lb (565 kg) female blue marlin at a measured 146-inch (371 cm) lower jaw fork length were analyzed for 14C. Estimated longevity was either 12–21 or 32–44 years on the basis of bomb 14C dating. Using multiple lines of evidence, it was determined that the young age scenario was most likely, with evidence for an age close to 20 years using a series of deductions in the bomb 14C dating method.

Early life stress (ELS) is a significant risk factor for the emergence of internalizing problems in adolescence. Beginning in adolescence, females are twice as likely as males to experience internalizing disorders. The present study was designed to examine sex differences in the association between ELS and internalizing problems in early pubertal adolescents, and whether and how corticolimbic function and connectivity may underlie these associations. Fifty-nine early pubertal males and 78 early pubertal females, ages 9–13 years (all Tanner Stage 3 or below) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging as they performed an emotion label task that robustly interrogates corticolimbic function. Participants were also interviewed about their experience of ELS. Females exhibited a positive association between ELS and internalizing problems, whereas males exhibited no such association. Whole-brain and amygdala region of interest analyses indicated that whereas females exhibited a positive association between ELS and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during implicit emotion regulation, males showed no such association. Activation in these regions was positively associated with internalizing problems in females but not males; however, activation in these regions did not mediate the association between ELS and internalizing problems. Finally, both boys and girls exhibited an association between ELS and increased negative connectivity between the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdala. Using a carefully characterized sample of early pubertal adolescents, the current study highlights important sex differences in the development of corticolimbic circuitry during a critical period of brain development. These sex differences may play a significant role in subsequent risk for internalizing problems.

Two disorders of attachment have been consistently identified in some young children following severe deprivation in early life: reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder. However, less is known about whether signs of these disorders persist into adolescence. We examined signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder at age 12 years in 111 children who were abandoned at or shortly after birth and subsequently randomized to care as usual or to high-quality foster care, as well as in 50 comparison children who were never institutionalized. Consistent with expectations, those who experienced institutional care in early life had more signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder at age 12 years than children never institutionalized. In addition, using a conservative intent-to-treat approach, those children randomized to foster care had significantly fewer signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder than those randomized to care as usual. Analyses within the ever institutionalized group revealed no effects of the age of placement into foster care, but number of caregiving disruptions experienced and the percentage of the child's life spent in institutional care were significant predictors of signs of attachment disorders assessed in early adolescence. These findings indicate that adverse caregiving environments in early life have enduring effects on signs of attachment disorders, and provide further evidence that high-quality caregiving interventions are associated with reductions in both reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder.

Previous research suggests that exposure to early life stress (ELS) affects the structural integrity of the uncinate fasciculus (UF), a frontolimbic white matter tract that undergoes protracted development throughout adolescence. Adolescence is an important transitional period characterized by the emergence of internalizing psychopathology such as anxiety, particularly in individuals with high levels of stress sensitivity. We examined the relations among sensitivity to ELS, structural integrity of the UF, and anxiety symptoms in 104 early adolescents. We conducted structured interviews to assess exposure to ELS and obtained subjective and objective ratings of stress severity, from which we derived an index of ELS sensitivity. We also acquired diffusion MRI and conducted deterministic tractography to visualize UF trajectories and to compute measures of structural integrity from three distinct segments of the UF: frontal, insular, temporal. We found that higher sensitivity to ELS predicted both reduced fractional anisotropy in right frontal UF and higher levels of anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that fibers in frontal UF, which are still developing throughout adolescence, are most vulnerable to the effects of heightened sensitivity to ELS, and that reduced structural integrity of frontal UF may underlie the relation between early stress and subsequent internalizing psychopathology.

Background While depression is typically associated with reduced levels of empathy, this association differs depending on how empathy is measured. Given the importance of empathy in the parent–child relationship, we sought to examine whether the associations between depression and dispositional empathy would also extend to empathy towards one’s own child. Methods Within a non-clinical sample of 150 parents of young children, we examined the associations between self-reported depressive symptoms, dispositional empathic tendencies, and empathy specifically toward their own children, and how these associations might differ based on parent gender. Results Depressive symptoms were related to lower levels of cognitive and affective empathy, and higher levels of empathic distress. Over and above the association with dispositional empathy, depressive symptoms were associated with reduced levels of parents’ affective empathy toward their own child. The associations between depressive symptoms and both dispositional and own-child specific empathy varied by parent gender. For fathers, depressive symptoms predicted own-child specific affective empathy, over and above dispositional affective empathy, while for mothers, depressive symptoms predicted own-child specific empathic distress, over and above dispositional empathic distress. Conclusions The current findings provide further indication that caregivers with elevated depression may engage in patterns of thoughts and behaviors that have implications for their interactions with their children. Parents’ experienced empathy toward their own child may be one mechanism by which depression impacts the early caregiving environment, and thus may be an important target for intervention in improving the early caregiving experiences for children at elevated risk due to parental depression. Differences in cognitive and affective empathy found among those with depression may be even more pronounced in the thoughts and feelings towards one’s own child, making this an important clinical target.

Infancy is marked by rapid neural and emotional development. The relation between brain function and emotion in infancy, however, is not well understood. Methods for measuring brain function predominantly rely on the BOLD signal; however, interpretation of the BOLD signal in infancy is challenging because the neuronal-hemodynamic relation is immature. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) provides a context for the infant BOLD signal and can yield insight into the developmental maturity of brain regions that may support affective behaviors. This study aims to elucidate the relations among rCBF, age, and emotion in infancy. One hundred and seven mothers reported their infants’ (infant age M ± SD = 6.14 ± 0.51 months) temperament. A subsample of infants completed MRI scans, 38 of whom produced usable perfusion MRI during natural sleep to quantify rCBF. Mother-infant dyads completed the repeated Still-Face Paradigm, from which infant affect reactivity and recovery to stress were quantified. We tested associations of infant age at scan, temperament factor scores, and observed affect reactivity and recovery with voxel-wise rCBF. Infant age was positively associated with CBF in nearly all voxels, with peaks located in sensory cortices and the ventral prefrontal cortex, supporting the formulation that rCBF is an indicator of tissue maturity. Temperamental Negative Affect and recovery of positive affect following a stressor were positively associated with rCBF in several cortical and subcortical limbic regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus. This finding yields insight into the nature of affective neurodevelopment during infancy. Specifically, infants with relatively increased prefrontal cortex maturity may evidence a disposition toward greater negative affect and negative reactivity in their daily lives yet show better recovery of positive affect following a social stressor.

Decades of research have shown long-term effects of early caregiving adversity (ECA) on stress physiology and limbic brain volume (e.g. amygdala, hippocampus). Although these systems undergo significant maturational change during childhood and adolescence, and reciprocally influence each other, the effects of ECA on these developmental processes is not well understood. In the current study, we used an accelerated longitudinal design to assess the development of stress physiology, amygdala, and hippocampal volume following early institutional care. Previously Institutionalized (PI; N = 93) and comparison (COMP; N = 161) youth (ages 4-20 years old) completed 1-3 waves of data collection, each spaced approximately 2 years apart, for diurnal cortisol (N = 239, providing a total of 380 diurnal datasets), structural MRI (N = 156, providing a total of 306 scans) and parent-reported internalizing symptoms (N = 133, providing a total of 227 time points). We observed a developmental shift in morning cortisol in the PI group, with blunted levels in childhood and heightened levels in late adolescence. PI history was associated with reduced hippocampal volume and reduced growth rate of the amygdala, resulting in smaller volumes by adolescence. Results also suggested feed-forward brain-to-hormone mechanisms; amygdala and hippocampal volumes were prospectively associated with morning cortisol levels two years later. Finally, amygdala and hippocampal volumes were independently associated with internalizing scores. These results indicate that adversity-related physiological and neural phenotypes are not stationary during development but instead exhibit dynamic and interdependent changes from early childhood to early adulthood.