Convergent Markers of Risk for Psychopathology in Infants and Toddlers

描述（由申请人提供）：无法识别在生命早期有精神疾病风险的儿童限制了预防，干预和治疗计划对终身精神健康的影响。系统的方法/撤回和系统的认知控制受损或改变，在个人与内化和个人wih外化问题。这两个系统都出现在生命的早期，并且可以使用神经活动的测量来量化。研究这些发展中的系统和早期儿童精神病理学风险之间的关联，既可以阐明接近/退缩和认知控制作为障碍风险机制的作用，也可以直接影响早期儿童预防，干预和治疗计划的效果。申请人接受过大量的焦虑问题风险生物标志物的培训，并在学龄前儿童事件相关电位（ERP）技术的使用方面具有专业知识。本申请提出了本研究下一步所需的培训，即 使用脑电图（EEG）检查婴儿期风险的前兆，并跟踪内化风险的发展（即，社交焦虑）和外化（即，ADHD）的时间。培训目标包括发展概念和方法的基础上使用脑电图与婴儿，扩大专业知识，包括发展的外部化问题，并获得熟悉的临床仪器的使用。具体的研究目标是：（1）识别典型和非典型的神经发育模式，为社交焦虑和ADHD的假定风险标记，（2）确定假定的风险标记是否代表独立的风险因素或一般潜在脆弱性的表现，（3）测试是否假定的早期风险标记预测儿童早期障碍症状。拟议的培训计划是至关重要的候选人的过渡到一个独立的线的心理生理学研究，它提供了完整的培训，在整个婴儿期，幼儿期和学龄前使用EEG和ERP。研究将在威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校心理学系进行。具有神经生理学、儿童发育、气质和精神病理学专业知识的研究人员将担任导师。这项拟议中的研究与公共卫生有关，因为它有可能提高对幼儿神经发育和心理障碍之间联系的认识。这反过来又可以提高我们制定更有针对性和更有效的预防和治疗心理障碍计划的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An inability to identify children who are at risk for mental illness early in life limits the impact that programs of prevention, intervention, and treatment can have on lifetime mental health. Systems of approach/withdrawal and systems of cognitive control are impaired or altered in both individuals with internalizing and individuals wih externalizing problems. Both of these systems emerge early in life and are quantifiable using measures of neural activity. Research that delineates the association among these developing systems and early-childhood risk for psychopathology would both clarify the roles of approach/withdrawal and cognitive control as mechanisms of risk for disorder, but also directly impact the effects of early childhood programs of prevention, intervention, and treatment. The applicant has received substantial training in biological markers of risk for anxiety problems and has expertise in the use of the event-related potential (ERP) technique with preschoolers. This application proposes the training that is necessary for the next step of this research, which is to use electroencephalography (EEG) to examine precursors of risk during infancy and track the development of risk for internalizing (i.e., social anxiety) and externalizing (i.e., ADHD) over time. Training goals involve developing conceptual and methodological foundations in the use of EEG with infants, expanding expertise to include the development of externalizing problems, and gaining familiarity with the use of clinical instruments. The specific research aims are to: (1 identify typical and atypical patterns of neurodevelopment for putative markers of risk for social anxiety and ADHD, (2) determine whether putative risk markers represent independent factors of risk or manifestations of a general underlying vulnerability, and (3) test whether putative markers of early risk predict early childhood symptoms of disorder. The proposed training plan is critical to the candidate's transition to an independent line of psychophysiological research, a it provides complete training in the use of both EEG and ERP throughout infancy, toddlerhood, and preschool. Research will be conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison department of Psychology. Researchers with expertise in neurophysiology, child development, temperament, and psychopathology will serve as mentors. The proposed research is relevant to public health because it has the potential to improve knowledge of the links between neurodevelopment and psychological disorders in young children. This, in turn, can improve our ability to create more targeted and effective programs to prevent and treat psychological disorders.