Developmental psychobiology最新文献

Birth by cesarean section (CS) is associated with a higher incidence of dopamine (DA)-related disorders compared to vaginal delivery (VD). The mesolimbic (ML) system encompasses DAergic neurons that modulate processes underlying learning, motivation, and food intake. Previous work has found lower levels of DA in the prefrontal cortex and higher levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of CS offspring. Since alterations in the ML–DA system after CS birth may impact behavioral response to rewarding stimuli, we aimed to ascertain the behavioral and neurodevelopmental outcomes relevant to food reward in CS prairie vole offspring. This study utilized conditioned place preference (CPP) testing to assess learning, operant conditioning to assess motivation to receive a reinforcer, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to stain for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the NAc. Behavioral results showed no difference in preference for the conditioned chamber between CS offspring and their VD counterparts. CS prairie vole offspring had a lower average breakpoint during progressive ratio testing compared to VD offspring. IHC results showed CS offspring had lower levels of TH-immunoreactivity in the NAc core and shell. These findings further support that delivery by CS has long-term neurodevelopmental effects and that CS offspring have decreased food motivation independent of deficits in learning.

Although both vagal regulation and parental marital conflict have been demonstrated to influence individuals’ prosociality, research on their interactive influences is almost silent, especially in adolescents. The present study examined the potential quadratic association between resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and adolescents’ prosociality and the moderating role of parental marital conflict in this association. Three hundred and twenty-seven junior high school students (M_age = 13.24 years, SD = 0.47, 45.3% female) participated in this study. The Agreeableness Subscale from the NEO Five Factor Inventory and the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale were administered to participants to assess their prosociality and parental marital conflict. The electrocardiogram (ECG) data were collected to calculate resting RSA during the resting state. Results indicated a significant quadratic association between resting RSA and adolescents’ prosociality, and parental marital conflict played a moderating role in this quadratic association. Specifically, under low and medium levels of parental marital conflict, the quadratic association between resting RSA and adolescents’ prosociality was significant, but it was not significant under high levels of parental marital conflict. The findings provide evidence for the quadratic association between resting RSA and prosociality, further deepening the understanding of the biopsychosocial foundations of prosociality.

Cholesterol has previously been implicated in mental health outcomes but is less frequently studied during adolescence—a period of greater biological sensitivity and heightened risk for depression. In this study, 59 adolescents (ages 13–17) participated in two laboratory visits 3 months apart, during which they completed interviews to assess depressive symptoms and provided blood from which high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were assayed. Multilevel models probed associations between depressive symptoms in relation to between-person and within-person differences in HDL and LDL above and beyond contributions associated with demographic characteristics. Results revealed that, across participants, higher levels of HDL and LDL were independently associated with higher depressive symptom scores. When considering associations within participants, higher levels of LDL relative to the participant's average were likewise associated with more depressive symptoms. Secondary analyses suggested that observed associations were largely not accounted for by BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, pubertal development, or physical activity. Taken together, this study provides preliminary evidence that cholesterol may be associated with depressive symptoms during an important period of development.

Maternal mental health has been linked to early physiological regulation in infants, with depression, anxiety, and PTSD shaping autonomic nervous system development. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic control, reflects infants’ ability to regulate arousal and predicts later self-regulation. While maternal prenatal distress has been implicated in fetal autonomic programming, the extent to which these effects persist postnatally remains unclear. In the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, home to nearly 1 million people fleeing genocide, children are exposed to extreme conditions that can undermine biopsychosocial development. This study examines associations between prenatal and postnatal mental health and infant RSA at 6 weeks of age in a sample of Rohingya refugee and Bangladeshi host community mothers in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Findings indicate that postnatal—but not prenatal—distress is associated with lower infant RSA, with postnatal anxiety predicting lower RSA when infants were held and postnatal depression predicting lower RSA across both held and alone conditions. PTSD symptoms were not significantly associated with RSA. These results suggest that postnatal maternal distress may play a more proximal role in shaping infant autonomic function than prenatal exposure alone, underscoring the need for perinatal mental health interventions in displaced populations to support resilience.

Newborn neurobehavior is a critical indicator of early childhood development. Therefore, we examined perinatal predictors of neurobehavioral patterns among healthy, medically low-risk infants. Participants include 385 mothers and infants. Self-reported emotion dysregulation and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) data were collected during the third trimester. Infant neurobehavior was measured approximately 24-h after birth (M = 3.61, SD = 8.39, range = 1–61 days) using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). Latent profile analysis identified three NNNS profiles. Infants in the high-arousal, high-stress profile (P3) demonstrated more dysregulated neurobehavior than infants in the high-attention, moderate-regulation profile (P1) or the low-arousal, high-lethargy profile (P2). There were no differences between profiles on infant sex, head circumference, or APGAR scores. Differences in birth gestational age were minimal. Expectant mothers with lower emotion dysregulation were more likely to have infants in P3 than P2. Mothers with more flexible autonomic responses—RSA decreases to a stress task and better recovery—were more likely to have infants in P1 and P2 than P3. We successfully replicated low-risk NNNS profiles, suggesting that the NNNS is a reliable assessment tool for healthy, term infants. Our findings also underscore unexpected and varied associations between maternal emotional wellbeing and fetal development.

Parent-child play is crucial in shaping child development, where play also facilitates autonomic nervous system integration. However, less is known about how parental perceptions of play impact childhood autonomic profiles, which have been associated with enhanced feelings of safety, responsiveness, comfort, and improved learning. This study recorded heart rate variability (HRV) among a sample of young children aged 3–7 years old (N = 45; 42% girls; 62% African American) while they performed neurocognitive tests and play activities, including tickling by a caregiver. Caregivers also completed questionnaires on parent–child play dynamics. Utilizing HRV recovery after play as a marker of autonomic regulation, correlation and multiple regression analyses showed that caregiver attitudes towards parent–child play correlated with the children's autonomic recovery profiles. These findings suggest children's autonomic outcomes are linked to parental attitudes and behaviors related to play.

Racial discrimination (RD) increases the risk of fear-based disorders, such as anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alters activity in brain regions important for fear extinction in adults. However, little is known about these associations in adolescence—a key period for the emergence of these disorders—especially among Black youth, who frequently experience RD. This study examined RD's links to anxiety, PTSD symptoms, fear extinction, and brain activity in 54 Black youth (54% female; M ± SD age = 13 ± 2.27 years). Participants completed questionnaires and an fMRI-based Pavlovian fear extinction task. Conditioned fear was measured via skin conductance responses (SCRs), behavioral avoidance, and self-reported fear. Neural activation was examined in the amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex. Regressions examined associations between RD, symptoms, conditioned fear, and brain activity during extinction. Higher RD was linked to higher anxiety and PTSD symptoms, as well as differential patterns of behavioral avoidance. There were no effects of RD on SCRs or self-reported fear. RD was associated with greater right hippocampal activity to the threat cue relative to the safety cue, and hippocampal activity had an indirect effect on the link between RD and behavioral avoidance. RD-related differences in avoidance behavior and hippocampal activity are associated with fear-based symptoms in Black adolescents, highlighting potential pathways for further investigation.