Convergent Markers of Risk for Psychopathology in Infants and Toddlers

描述(由申请人提供)：无法识别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生精神健康的影响。内在性和外在性问题个体的接近/退出系统和认知控制系统都受到损害或改变。这两个系统都出现在生命的早期，并且可以用神经活动的测量来量化。描绘这些发展中的系统与儿童早期精神病理学风险之间的联系的研究，不仅将阐明接近/退出和认知控制作为障碍风险机制的作用，而且还将直接影响儿童早期预防、干预和治疗计划的效果。申请人接受过焦虑症风险生物标记物方面的大量培训，并具有在学龄前儿童中使用事件相关电位(ERP)技术的专门知识。本申请提出了本研究下一步所需的培训，即 使用脑电(EEG)检查婴儿期的风险前兆，并跟踪随着时间的推移内在化(即社交焦虑)和外在化(即ADHD)风险的发展。培训目标包括发展婴儿脑电使用的概念和方法基础，扩大专门知识以包括外部性问题的发展，以及熟悉临床仪器的使用。具体的研究目的是：(1)确定社交焦虑和ADHD的假定风险标记物的典型和非典型神经发育模式；(2)确定推定的危险标记物是否代表独立的风险因素或一般潜在脆弱性的表现；以及(3)检验早期风险推定标记物是否预测儿童早期障碍症状。拟议的培训计划对于候选人过渡到独立的心理生理学研究领域至关重要，它提供了在整个婴儿期、幼儿和学龄前阶段使用脑电和事件相关电位的完整培训。这项研究将在威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校心理学系进行。在神经生理学、儿童发育、气质和精神病理学方面有专长的研究人员将担任导师。这项拟议的研究与公共卫生相关，因为它有可能提高人们对幼儿神经发育和心理障碍之间联系的认识。反过来，这可以提高我们创建更有针对性和更有效的项目来预防和治疗心理障碍的能力。

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.