Child Psychology Commons^™

Neural Processing Of Infant And Adult Face Emotion And Maternal Exposure To Childhood Maltreatment, Aviva K. Olsavsky, Joel Stoddard, Andrew Erhart, Rebekah C. Tribble, Pilyoung Kim

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Face processing in mothers is linked to mother–infant social communication, which is critical for parenting and in turn for child development. Neuroimaging studies of child maltreatment-exposed (CME) mothers are sparse compared to studies of mothers with postpartum depression, which have suggested blunted amygdala reactivity to infant stimuli. We expected to see a similar pattern in CME mothers. Based on broader studies in trauma-exposed populations, we anticipated increased amygdala reactivity to negative adult face stimuli in a comparison task in CME mothers given heightened evaluation of potential threat. We examined Neuroimaging studies of mothers with childhood maltreatment exposure (CME) (18–37 years …

Across Continents And Demographics, Unpredictable Maternal Signals Are Associated With Children's Cognitive Function, Elysia Poggi Davis, Riikka Korja, Linnea Karlsson, Laura M. Glynn, Curt A. Sandman, Brian Vegetabile, Eeva-Leena Kataja, Saara Nolvi, Eija Sinervä, Juho Pelto, Hasse Karlsson, Hal S. Stern, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Background

Early life experiences have persisting influence on brain function throughout life. Maternal signals constitute a primary source of early life experiences, and their quantity and quality during sensitive developmental periods exert enduring effects on cognitive function and emotional and social behaviors. Here we examined if, in addition to established qualitative dimensions of maternal behavior during her interactions with her infant and child, patterns of maternal signals may contribute to the maturation of children's executive functions. We focused primarily on effortful control, a potent predictor of mental health outcomes later in life.

Methods

In two independent prospective cohorts in Turku, …

Multivariate Genome-Wide Association Study Of Rapid Automatised Naming And Rapid Alternating Stimulus In Hispanic American And African–American Youth, Dongnhu Thuy Truong, Andrew Kenneth Adams, Steven Paniagua, Jan C. Frijters, Richard Boada, Dina E. Hill, Maureen W. Lovett, E Mark Mahone, Erik G. Willcutt, Maryanne Wolf, John C. Defries, Alessandro Gialluisi, Clyde Francks, Simon E. Fisher, Richard K. Olson, Bruce F. Pennington, Shelley D. Smith, Joan Bosson-Heenan, Jeffrey R. Gruen

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Background: Rapid automatised naming (RAN) and rapid alternating stimulus (RAS) are reliable predictors of reading disability. The underlying biology of reading disability is poorly understood. However, the high correlation among RAN, RAS and reading could be attributable to shared genetic factors that contribute to common biological mechanisms.

Objective: To identify shared genetic factors that contribute to RAN and RAS performance using a multivariate approach.

Methods: We conducted a multivariate genome-wide association analysis of RAN Objects, RAN Letters and RAS Letters/Numbers in a sample of 1331 Hispanic American and African-American youth. Follow-up neuroimaging genetic analysis of cortical regions associated with reading …