Early neurobiological predictors of executive functioning in toddlers

幼儿执行功能的早期神经生物学预测因素

基本信息

批准号：
9143802
负责人：
Alice M Graham
金额：
$ 5.61万
依托单位：
OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2014
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2014-09-03 至 2017-09-02
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9143802
关键词：
1 year old 2 year old Adult Advanced Development Affect Age Area Area Under Curve Attention Awareness Behavior Behavior assessment Behavioral Biological Biological Markers Birth Brain Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)Characteristics Child Childhood Communities Community Integration Community Networks Computing Methodologies Data Collection Data Set Development Diamond Dorsal Early Intervention Early identification Environment Exposure to Fellowship Fetus Foundations Funding Goals Health Hydrocortisone Individual Individual Differences Infant Interdisciplinary Study Intervention Life Light Link Longitudinal Studies MRI Scans Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measurement Measures Mediating Mental Health Mental disorders Methods Modeling Neonatal Neurobiology Parietal Pathway Analysis Pattern Phenotype Placenta Pregnancy Process Psychopathology Psychosocial Stress Regulation Research Research Methodology Rest Risk Risk Marker School-Age Population Schools Services Shapes Short-Term Memory Social Functioning Source Special Education Stress Structure Support System Symptoms System Testing Time Toddler Training United States United States National Institutes of Health Work career development cognitive development cognitive process cost density early childhood education financing executive function fetal in utero indexing infancy innovation postnatal prenatal prenatal influence prenatal stress programs segregation skills statistics support network

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The capacity to engage in purposeful, goal-directed behaviors, known as executive functioning (EF), provides a foundation for mental health, and academic and social functioning. EF is therefore a target for early intervention services aimed at reducing risk for psychopathology and school difficulties. However, targeted intervention efforts are limited by the difficulty of assessing EF prior to age 2. Resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) allows for assessment of brain systems implicated in EF beginning in the neonatal period. Advanced computational methods applied with rs-fcMRI have shed light on the organization of the brain into dissociable functional networks that support high level cognitive processes, such as EF. The current proposal seeks to apply these methods to examine functional brain networks during infancy as predictors of emerging EF skills at 2 years of age, when reliable behavioral assessment becomes possible. In addition to increasing understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes preceding observable EF skills, examining these brain networks has potential to elucidate early environmental influences on EF. Associations between prenatal stress and difficulties with EF in childhood are thought to be explained by altered trajectories of brain development. However, hypothesized connections between prenatal stress, early brain development and emerging EF skills have not been tested. Under the current proposal, the applicant will test these connections in a unique longitudinal data set that includes extensive characterization of the pre- and postnatal environment, infant rs-fcMRI scans at 2 weeks and 1 year of age, and EF assessment at 2 years. She will employ advanced computational methods to characterize development of functional brain networks implicated in EF, and whole brain topology (community structure) from birth to 1 year of age. These brain metrics will be examined as predictors of EF skills at 2 years of age (Aim 1). Prenatal maternal cortisol will be examined as an index of in utero biological stress exposure that is a likely condut for the effects of multiple sources of psychosocial stress on fetal brain development. The applicant will examine cumulative prenatal stress exposure and stress during specific sensitive periods (trimesters) as predictors of brain metrics associated with EF skills. Finally, the applicat will test a full mediational model of the effects of prenatal stress on EF through functional brain development (Aim 2). This work has potential to shed light on early neurobiological markers of risk for poor EF, and sensitive periods in the development of brain systems underlying EF. Longitudinal, multi-method research of this kind is essential for developing comprehensive models linking early stress exposure, brain development and behavioral phenotypes relevant to mental health. Fellowship training will focus on specific content areas, including prenatal stress and brain development, advanced computational methods for rs-fcMRI, longitudinal multivariate statistics, and EF. Importantly, training will also emphasize career development objectives specific to the applicant's planned program of research, including a focus on collaborative interdisciplinary research.

描述（由申请人提供）：从事有目的，目标指导行为的能力，称为执行功能（EF），为心理健康以及学术和社会功能提供了基础。因此，EF是旨在减少精神病理学和学校困难风险的早期干预服务的目标。但是，有针对性的干预工作受到2岁以前评估EF的困难的限制。静止状态功能连接 MRI（RS-FCMRI）允许评估新生儿时期与EF有关的大脑系统。使用RS-FCMRI应用的先进计算方法已将大脑的组织揭示为可隔离的功能网络，这些功能网络支持高水平的认知过程，例如EF。当前的建议旨在应用这些方法来检查婴儿期间功能性脑网络，以作为2岁以下新兴EF技能的预测指标，当时可靠的行为评估成为可能。除了对可观察到的EF技能之前对神经发育过程的了解增加，研究这些大脑网络还具有阐明早期环境对EF的影响的潜力。人们认为，产前压力与儿童EF的困难之间的关联被认为是通过大脑发育轨迹的改变来解释的。但是，尚未测试产前压力，早期大脑发育和新兴EF技能之间的假设联系。根据当前建议，申请人将以独特的纵向数据集测试这些连接，其中包括出生前和产后环境的广泛表征，婴儿在2周和1岁时的婴儿RS-FCMRI扫描以及2年的EF评估。她将采用先进的计算方法来表征与EF以及从出生到1岁的整个大脑拓扑（社区结构）涉及的功能性脑网络的开发。这些大脑指标将被检查为2岁时EF技能的预测指标（AIM 1）。产前孕产妇皮质醇将被检查为子宫内生物胁迫暴露的指数，这可能是多种心理压力来源对胎儿脑发育的影响的指标。申请人将在特定敏感时期（三体）期间累积产前应力暴露和压力作为与EF技能相关的脑指标的预测指标。最后，应用程序将测试通过功能性大脑对产前应力对EF产生影响的完整中介模型开发（目标2）。这项工作有可能阐明EF差的早期神经生物学标志物以及EF基础系统的发展中敏感时期的风险。纵向，多方法研究对于开发与与心理健康相关的早期压力暴露，大脑发育和行为表型联系起来的综合模型至关重要。奖学金培训将集中在特定内容领域，包括产前压力和大脑发育，RS-FCMRI的先进计算方法，纵向多元统计和EF。重要的是，培训还将强调申请人计划的研究计划的职业发展目标，包括关注协作跨学科研究。