Early childhood cumulative risk is associated with decreased global brain measures, cortical thickness, and cognitive functioning in school-age children
Early childhood cumulative risk is associated with decreased global brain measures, cortical thickness, and cognitive functioning in school-age children
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DOI：
10.1002/dev.21956
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发表时间：
2020-02-13
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Dougherty, Lea R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chad-Friedman, Emma;Botdorf, Morgan;Dougherty, Lea R.
在生命早期暴露于多种风险因素的儿童越来越有可能在整个发育过程中遭受一系列认知障碍。然而，很少有工作已经确定了神经生物学机制连接早期累积风险和认知功能。目前的研究检查了儿童早期评估的累积风险对3年后儿童学龄时测量的神经和认知结果的影响。参与者包括63名儿童在学龄前（年龄：M = 4.23岁，SD = 0.84）和3年后（年龄：M = 7.19岁，SD = 0.89）进行评估。早期累积风险的定义是存在低家庭收入，单亲家庭，父母教育程度低，儿童暴露于父母抑郁，儿童暴露于父母的高度敌意，以及高水平的压力生活事件。在随访时评估了儿童在过去一年中暴露于压力源的情况、认知能力和大脑结构。早期累积风险与总灰质体积、皮质体积、右侧上级顶叶和下顶叶厚度减少以及注意力转移和记忆力较差前瞻性相关。右上级顶叶厚度介导早期风险和回忆记忆之间的关联。结果突出了与早期累积风险相关的神经变异，并提示了从早期风险到后期儿童认知障碍的潜在神经通路。
Children exposed to multiple risk factors early in life are increasingly more likely to suffer from a host of cognitive impairments across development. However, little work has identified the neurobiological mechanisms linking early cumulative risk and cognitive functioning. The current study examined the impact of cumulative risk assessed during early childhood on neural and cognitive outcomes measured 3 years later when children were school-aged. Participants included 63 children assessed during preschool (age: M = 4.23 years, SD = 0.84) and 3 years later (age: M = 7.19 years, SD = 0.89). Early cumulative risk was defined by the presence of low family income, a single parent household, low parental education, child exposure to parental depression, child exposure to high parental hostility, and high levels of stressful life events. Children's exposure to stressors in the past year, cognitive abilities, and brain structure were assessed at follow-up. Early cumulative risk was prospectively associated with reduced total gray matter volume, cortex volume, right superior parietal and inferior parietal thickness, and poorer attention shifting and memory. Right superior parietal thickness mediated associations between early risk and recall memory. Results highlight neural variations associated with early cumulative risk and suggest potential neural pathways from early risk to later childhood cognitive impairments.