Effects of early adversity on neural mechanisms of distractor suppression are mediated by sympathetic nervous system activity in preschool-aged children.

Abstract

Multiple theoretical frameworks posit that interactions between the autonomic nervous system and higher-order neural networks are crucial for cognitive regulation. However, few studies have simultaneously examined autonomic physiology and brain activity during cognitive tasks. Such research is promising for understanding how early adversity impacts neurocognitive development in children, given that stress experienced early in life impacts both autonomic function and regulatory behaviors. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) as a neural measure of auditory selective attention, and cardiovascular measures of high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and preejection period (PEP), in 105 3-5-year-old children with varying degrees of socioeconomic risk. First, we replicated a previous study from our lab: Increased socioeconomic risk was associated with larger ERP amplitudes elicited by distracting sounds. Next, we tested whether PEP and HF-HRV (at rest and during the task) were associated with the distractor ERP response, and found that a physiological profile marked by heightened sympathetic nervous system activity, indexed by shorter PEP, was associated with better ERP suppression of distractor sounds in lower SES children. Finally, we found that PEP mediated the relationship between socioeconomic risk and larger ERP responses to distractor sounds. In line with similar reports, these results suggest that for lower SES children, there is a potential biological cost of achieving better cognitive performance, seen here as increased cardiovascular arousal both at rest and in response to task demands. (PsycINFO Database Record

Parasympathetic and sympathetic activity are associated with individual differences in neural indices of selective attention in adults

“…Given the lack of significant interactions by probe type, we examined attention effects on the P1 and N1 collapsed across probe type. We took a similar approach in a recent paper using the same experimental methodology in 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children, in which we observed significant associations between PEP and selective attention effects on ERPs when collapsing across probe type (Giuliano et al, ).…”

Cortical and affective regulation of autonomic coordination

“…Although it remains critically important to expand basic research to historically understudied populations (see Gatzke‐Kopp, ), the demographics of this sample may limit the comparability of these findings to literature focused on the study of more affluent and/or samples of European descent. Some research suggests an impact of socioeconomic adversity on autonomic and cortical function (Giuliano, Karns, et al, ), and thus the current findings may reflect adaptations to experiences of stress not typical in all populations. In addition, some research has reported different patterns of association between parasympathetic function and cognitive performance in African‐American compared with European‐Americans (Jennings, Allen, Gianaros, Thayer, & Manuck, ).…”

“…Although fewer studies have examined the association between sympathetic arousal and cognitive function, some evidence suggests that higher sympathetic arousal is associated with better cognitive performance. Research with children suggests that cardiac measures of both higher parasympathetic and higher sympathetic activity at rest are associated with better subsequent inhibitory control performance (Giuliano, Karns, et al, ). Research with adults suggests that cardiac indices of higher sympathetic activity are associated with better attentional control and executive function (Duschek, Hoffman, Reyes Del Paso, & Ettinger, ; Duschek, Muckenthaler, Werner, & del Paso, ) and electrophysiological indices of attentional control (Giuliano, Roos, et al, ).…”

“…The proposed hierarchy suggests that cortical engagement is associated with parasympathetic activity and sympathetic activity sequentially rather than concurrently through autonomic coordination. Despite evidence that activity in both branches of the autonomic nervous system is influenced by cortical structures associated with cognition (e.g., Giuliano, Karns, et al, ; Giuliano, Roos, et al, ), it remains unclear how cortical activation is related to autonomic coordination, theoretically or empirically.…”

Acute stress impairs children's sustained attention with increased vulnerability for children of mothers reporting higher parenting stress

“…The role of SNS reactivity in supporting cognitive performance is debated, with some theories suggesting that engagement reflects the appropriate allocation of physiological resources, whereas other theories suggest that engagement may reflect a perception of low baseline resources and high resource mobilization needs resulting in an over‐aroused state (reviewed in Mendes & Park, ). Evidence suggests that greater SNS engagement to a challenge task predicted better memory of the task (Quas, Carrick, Alkon, Goldstein, & Boyce, ) and higher task level SNS predicted better auditory selective attention (Giuliano et al, ). PNS reactivity has also been theorized to relate to cognitive function given that shared prefrontal brain regions are linked to the regulation of both attentional resources and limbic system activity (Graziano & Derefinko, ; Thayer, Åhs, Fredrikson, Sollers, & Wager, ).…”