Despite advances in the understanding of alterations in brain and behavior in adult affective psychopathology, and the more recent conceptualization of these illnesses as neurodevelopmental in origin, there is a dearth of early developmental data to inform this trajectory. The current proposal aims to fill this gap using data from a unique 13 year prospective longitudinal study, which started in the preschool period and contains three waves of functional and structural scan data: the Preschool Depression Study [PDS]. The proposed extension of this PDS study will focus on three constructs/RDoC domains encompassing specific aspects of emotion reactivity and regulation thought to be central to the development of affective psychopathology: 1) Negative Emotion Reactivity (NER), 2) Reward Reactivity (RR), and 3) Cognitive Emotion Re-appraisal (CER). Data from this sample has already shown that children who were depressed as preschoolers show similar alterations in brain structure and function relevant to the three constructs of interest as established in depressed adults. Brain markers of later recurrence, over and above behavioral symptoms have also been identified. Importantly, both hormonal and psychosocial factors influenced behavior and brain structure/function in the data to date. Follow-up of this unique sample with two additional waves of imaging and comprehensive assessment of these constructs, including measures of hormones, as they pass through adolescence represents an unprecedented, but time limited, opportunity to investigate early developmental antecedents and predictors of adolescent affective psychopathology. The proposed study will directly target the constructs of interest using parent and child report, direct behavioral assessments, and reward and emotion reappraisal tasks during fMRI scanning, as well as structural imaging and resting state functional connectivity, using tools developed in the Human Connectome Project. Using latent growth curve modeling approaches, we will test the hypotheses that specific patterns of individual differences in trajectories of the neural circuitry supporting NER (e.g., insula, hippocampus, amygdala), CER (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate and RR (e.g., striatum, insula) measured during preschool, school age and/or early adolescence predict: (1a) measures of the same constructs in mid to late adolescence; and (1b) risk for reoccurrence or new onset of affective psychopathology in adolescence, over key phenomenological and psychosocial variables assessed from preschool to school age. We will also test the hypothesis that pubertal timing and hormonal factors interact with both adaptive and impaired forms of NER, RR and CER to contribute to the emergence of sex differences in affective psychopathology during the high-risk phase of adolescence. This work will allow an investigation of the role of early childhood emotion and brain function in the course and trajectory of adolescent affective psychopathology, identification of potential markers of risk and pathways for early intervention, as well as potential mechanisms driving sex differences that emerge at this period.

Public Health Relevance

Little is known about how changes in childhood brain developmental impact the risk for affective psychopathology (i.e., depression and anxiety) despite wide consensus that these illnesses take root in childhood. The proposed project will utilize data from a unique prospective longitudinal study that began in the preschool period and included 3 waves of neuroimaging to measure brain development during school age. We will add two additional waves of neuroimaging and behavioral assessment as the study sample passes through adolescence. This study will provide the first available data on how early changes in emotion and brain development impact risk for later adolescent affective psychopathology, helping to identify pathways for early intervention or prevention.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH090786-09
Application #
9462771
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Zehr, Julia L
Project Start
2010-05-01
Project End
2020-03-31
Budget Start
2018-04-01
Budget End
2019-03-31
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
068552207
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
Luby, Joan L; Agrawal, Arpana; Belden, Andy et al. (2018) Developmental Trajectories of the Orbitofrontal Cortex and Anhedonia in Middle Childhood and Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence in a Longitudinal Sample of Depressed and Healthy Preschoolers. Am J Psychiatry 175:1010-1021
Barch, Deanna M; Belden, Andy C; Tillman, Rebecca et al. (2018) Early Childhood Adverse Experiences, Inferior Frontal Gyrus Connectivity, and the Trajectory of Externalizing Psychopathology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 57:183-190
Sylvester, Chad M; Whalen, Diana J; Belden, Andy C et al. (2018) Shyness and Trajectories of Functional Network Connectivity Over Early Adolescence. Child Dev 89:734-745
Pagliaccio, David; Pine, Daniel S; Barch, Deanna M et al. (2018) Irritability Trajectories, Cortical Thickness, and Clinical Outcomes in a Sample Enriched for Preschool Depression. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 57:336-342.e6
Whalen, Diana J; Sylvester, Chad M; Luby, Joan L (2017) Depression and Anxiety in Preschoolers: A Review of the Past 7 Years. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 26:503-522
Luby, Joan L; Barch, Deanna; Whalen, Diana et al. (2017) Association Between Early Life Adversity and Risk for Poor Emotional and Physical Health in Adolescence: A Putative Mechanistic Neurodevelopmental Pathway. JAMA Pediatr 171:1168-1175
Kertz, Sarah J; Sylvester, Chad; Tillman, Rebecca et al. (2017) Latent Class Profiles of Anxiety Symptom Trajectories From Preschool Through School Age. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol :1-16
Luking, Katherine R; Neiman, Jamie S; Luby, Joan L et al. (2017) Reduced Hedonic Capacity/Approach Motivation Relates to Blunted Responsivity to Gain and Loss Feedback in Children. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 46:450-462
Sylvester, C M; Petersen, S E; Luby, J L et al. (2017) Face processing in adolescents with positive and negative threat bias. Psychol Med 47:800-809
Whalen, Diana J (2017) Using Hybrid Modeling to Determine the Latent Structure of Psychopathology. Biol Psychiatry 81:e41-e42

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