Using Infant fMRI to Study the Developing Social Brain in the First Year of Life
Poster No:
1280
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Sohye Kim1, Hannah Spear1, Satrajit Ghosh2,3, Rahul Brito2,3, Tiffany Moore Simas1, Nancy Byatt1, Stephen Nicholas1,4, Lawrence Rhein1, Sarabeth Broder-Fingert1, David Kennedy1, Jean Frazier1
Institutions:
1University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 3Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 4William James College, Newton, MA
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Tiffany Moore Simas, M.D., M.P.H., M.Ed.
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Worcester, MA
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Worcester, MA
Stephen Nicholas
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School|William James College
Worcester, MA|Newton, MA
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School|William James College
Worcester, MA|Newton, MA
Introduction:
The fundamental architecture of the social brain is developed in infancy, and early deficits in social development are difficult to compensate for later in life (Ma, 2015). However, current techniques limit our ability to assess early differences and deficits in the infant's social brain. This has limited our fundamental knowledge of the developing social brain in human infants and has delayed the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics targeting these crucial earliest years. The goal of the present study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using a novel fMRI paradigm to measure infants' developing social responsiveness to the first social partner−the mother−at 6 months of age.
Methods:
Our novel fMRI paradigm uses an established MRI protocol to scan infants during natural sleep and relies on the infant's fully developed auditory responsiveness present by 6 months and well preserved under sleep (Blasi, 2011; Wild, 2017). Twenty-four (15 males) typically developing 6-month-old infants underwent scanning during natural sleep, listening to maternal voice, unfamiliar female voice, and speech-shaped noise. Unfamiliar voices were distinct from maternal voice on 512 features extracted by the Pyannote machine learning model (Bredin, 2020; Coria, 2020). Speech-shaped noise consisted of white noise edited to match maternal voice on frequency and loudness. FMRI data was processed using FEAT (FMRI Expert Analysis Tool) version 6.00, part of FSL. A total of 54 runs from 18 infants (11 males) passed quality assurance, showing distinct auditory activation and no excessive movement, and were included in the analysis. Voxel-wise whole-brain analyses examined the infant's fMRI response to: (a) human (maternal and unfamiliar) voice compared to speech-shaped noise, and (b) maternal voice compared to unfamiliar voice, adjusting for infant sex, infant age (in weeks), and maternal age. Z-statistic images were thresholded using clusters determined by Z > 3.1 and a corrected cluster threshold of p = .05. Correlational analysis examined Pearson's r between the infant's fMRI responses to the maternal > unfamiliar voice contrast and concurrent behavioral measures of maternal anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Spielberger, 1989), maternal stress (Perceived Stress Scale; Cohen, 1983), maternal depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; Cox, 1987), and infant negative emotionality (Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised, Very Short Form; Putnam, 2014).
Results:
Compared to speech-shaped noise, human voice elicited increased activations in multiple cortical regions of the infant's social brain (Figure 1A), including the superior temporal gyrus, temporoparietal junction, and medial prefrontal cortex. Compared to unfamiliar voice, maternal voice elicited increased activations in all aforementioned cortical regions, and additionally in key dopamine- and oxytocin-rich subcortical regions (Figure 1B), including the striatum, amygdala, and ventral diencephalon (encompassing the hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, and substantia nigra). Compared to maternal voice, unfamiliar voice did not elicit any additional activations. Maternal anxiety, stress, depression, and infant negative emotionality negatively correlated with the infant's preferential brain responses to maternal voice in key social brain regions (Figure 2).
Conclusions:
Six-month-old infants show preferential brain responses to human voice and voice of their first social partner. Our findings provide support for the feasibility of using fMRI to measure the developing brain's responsiveness to social cues. Our findings also provide preliminary evidence that the infant's preferential response to social cues is negatively associated with maternal anxiety, stress, and depression, and infant negative emotionality. When extended to at-risk infants, this work has the potential to yield breakthroughs in identifying novel neural markers that can detect early differences and deficits in an infant's developing social brain.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Neurodevelopmental/ Early Life (eg. ADHD, autism) 2
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia)
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Social Cognition
Lifespan Development:
Normal Brain Development: Fetus to Adolescence 1
Perception, Attention and Motor Behavior:
Perception: Auditory/ Vestibular
Keywords:
Development
FUNCTIONAL MRI
NORMAL HUMAN
PEDIATRIC
Psychiatric
Other - infant; brain development; social responsiveness; maternal mental health
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
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