Prenatal socioeconomic status and social support are associated with neonatal brain morphology, toddler language and psychiatric symptoms

Abstract

Few studies have assessed the association of parental SES with brain measures in neonates, at a time when exposure to the postnatal environment is minimal. Social support may buffer the adverse consequences of SES, and has been associated with better cognitive -emotional development in children. We studied the association of prenatal SES and social support with neonatal brain structure, and toddler cognition and psychiatric symptoms. In a sample of 37 healthy neonates, we correlated a measure of SES and marital/partner status (an index of social support) with morphological features of the cerebral surface measured on high-resolution MRI scans, scanned between the 1 st -6 th weeks of postnatal life. We then assessed how SES relates to cognitive and behavioral outcomes at age 24-months. We found that neonates born to mothers with lower SES had greater local volumes at the surface of the right occipital lobe, left temporal pole, and left inferior frontal and anterior cingulate regions. Partner status moderated the associations of SES on neonatal brain morphology. Lower SES was associated with poorer language scores and less severe ADHD and ODD symptoms. In summary, SES was associated with neonatal brain structure and language and behavioral outcomes at toddler age. Future studies with a greater sample size and longitudinal MRI scans will help to determine whether prenatal SES continues to relate to early brain development in the same or different brain regions.

Newborn white matter microstructure moderates the association between maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and infant negative reactivity

“…One possibility is that in some infants, higher FA values in the newborn period reflect more rapid neural development and premature myelination, which in turn makes them more susceptible to the current environment. This view is supported by studies linking neurotrophic factors to brain maturation and neuroplasticity in the postnatal period ( Dyer et al., 2016 ; Kowiański et al., 2018 ), as well as a growing number of studies reporting that early adversity is associated with both accelerated brain maturation and a risk for later developmental problems ( Callaghan and Tottenham, 2016 ; Posner et al., 2016 ; Thijssen et al., 2017 ; Spann et al., 2019 ). Further, in line with our findings, one adult study has shown that lower FA values may reflect prolonged/treatment-resistant depression (less plasticity and response to environment) ( De Diego-Adeliño et al., 2014 ).…”

“…As mentioned earlier, a growing number of studies have linked early life adversities to accelerated brain maturation (e.g. Gee et al., 2013 ; Spann et al., 2019 ). Thus, poorer parental mental health prior to and during pregnancy may program child brain development through epigenetic mechanisms toward more accelerated neurodevelopment reflected in white matter microstructure.…”

Current Socioeconomic Status Correlates With Brain Volumes in Healthy Children and Adolescents but Not in Children With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

“…Occupational scores range from 1 (e.g., service workers) through 9 (e.g., higher executives and major professionals), while educational scores range from 1 (e.g., lower than 7th-grade education) through 7 (e.g., graduate-level education). The Hollingshead Index continues to be among the most widely used, brief, valid, and reliable estimate of SES in health and imaging research (e.g., Bornstein et al, 2003 ; Lawson et al, 2013 , 2017 ; Cohen-Zimerman et al, 2019 ; Spann et al, 2019 ).…”

Brain connectivity and socioeconomic status at birth and externalizing symptoms at age 2 years

“…Such an association would indicate that preventative efforts should encompass the period before birth and would also elucidate the developmental neurobiology underlying mental illness more generally. One recent study has linked prenatal SES with neonatal cortical volumes; ( Spann et al, 2020 ) however, whether neonatal resting state functional connectivity varies with SES remains unknown. To address this issue, we longitudinally examined associations between socioeconomic status at birth, brain connectivity at birth, and psychiatric symptoms at age 2 years.…”