Title: White Matter Microstructure Predicts Individual Differences in Infant Fear (But Not Anger and Sadness)
Legend: Left: – Infant Emotion in the Brain, 1-month white matter microstructure was differentially associated with level and change in infant fear, but not anger or sadness, in the left stria terminalis (p < .05, corrected, top panel), a tract that connects frontal and tempo-parietal regions and has been implicated in emerging psychopathology in adults. Right – Infant Emotion Trajectories, Variation in infant emotional expressions; fear increased, and sadness and anger showed relative stability over time.
Citation: Planalp, E.M., Dean III, D.C., Dowe, K.N., Alexander, A.L., Goldsmith, H.H., & Davidson, R.J. White Matter Microstructure Predicts Individual Differences in Infant Fear (But Not Anger and Sadness). Developmental Science. Pending acceptance.
Authors: Elizabeth M. Planalp, Kristin N. Dowe, Andrew L. Alexander, H. Hill Goldsmith, Richard J. Davidson, Douglas C. Dean III.
Abstract: We examine neural correlates of discrete expressions of negative emotionality in infants to determine whether the microstructure of white matter tracts at 1 month of age foreshadows the expression of specific negative emotions later in infancy. Infants (n=103) underwent neuroimaging at 1-month, and mothers reported on infant fear, sadness, and anger at 6, 12, and 18 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. Levels and developmental change in fear, sadness, and anger were estimated from mother reports. Relations between MRI and infant emotion indicated that 1-month white matter microstructure was differentially associated with level and change in infant fear, but not anger or sadness, in the left stria terminalis (p < .05, corrected), a tract that connects frontal and tempo-parietal regions and has been implicated in emerging psychopathology in adults. More relaxed constraints on significance (p < .10, corrected) revealed that fear was associated with lower white matter microstructure bilaterally in the inferior portion of the stria terminalis and regions within the sagittal stratum. Results suggest the neurobehavioral uniqueness of fear as early as 1 month of age in regions that are associated with potential longer-term outcomes. This work highlights the early neural precursors of fearfulness, adding to literature explaining the psychobiological accounts of affective development.
About the Lab: Doug’s research in the Developing Brain Imaging Lab, focuses on the development and application of novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to measure and evaluate the brain structure throughout early neurodevelopment and aging. He is particularly experienced in pediatric imaging, scanning more than 800 infants and young children (3 months to 12 years) during his graduate work. His current research is focused on examining how the white matter microstructure of the brain develops across the early development and how these microstructural processes are related to changes in cognition and behavior.
Investigator: Doug Dean III, PhD