Browsing by Author "Korom, Marta"

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    Associations between cortical thickness and anxious/depressive symptoms differ by maltreatment history
    (University of Delaware, 2021) Korom, Marta
    A variety of childhood experiences can lead to anxious/depressed (A/D) symptoms. The aim of the present study was to explore the neural correlates of A/D symptoms and the extent to which these neural phenotypes vary depending on the quality of the parenting context in which children develop. Structural MRI scans were acquired on 45 children with Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement due to risk of not receiving adequate care (high-risk group) and 25 children without CPS involvement (low-risk group) (range age = 8.08-12.14; Mage=10.05) to assess cortical thickness (CT). A/D symptoms were measured using the Child Behavioral Checklist. The association between CT and A/D symptoms differed by risk status such that high-risk children showed decreasing CT as A/D scores increased, whereas low-risk children showed increasing CT as A/D scores increased. This interaction was specific to CT in prefrontal, frontal, temporal and parietal cortical areas. The groups did not differ in average A/D scores. Results suggest that the neurocortical correlates of A/D symptoms are differentially shaped by the quality of early caregiving experiences and should be distinguished between high- and low-risk children. Variability in CT could either reflect greater engagement of these regions in the service of self-regulatory processes (i.e., a compensatory mechanism), or a potential vulnerability marker for emotion regulation problems.
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    Associations between cortical thickness and anxious/depressive symptoms differ by the quality of early care
    (Development and Psychopathology, 2021-10-22) Korom, Marta; Tottenham, Nim; Valadez, Emilio A.; Dozier, Mary
    A variety of childhood experiences can lead to anxious/depressed (A/D) symptoms. The aim of the present study was to explore the brain morphological (cortical thickness and surface area) correlates of A/D symptoms and the extent to which these phenotypes vary depending on the quality of the parenting context in which children develop. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were acquired on 45 children with Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement due to risk of not receiving adequate care (high-risk group) and 25 children without CPS involvement (low-risk group) (rangeage = 8.08–12.14; M age = 10.05) to assess cortical thickness (CT) and cortical surface area (SA). A/D symptoms were measured using the Child Behavioral Checklist. The association between A/D symptoms and CT, but not SA, differed by risk status such that high-risk children showed decreasing CT as A/D scores increased, whereas low-risk children showed increasing CT as A/D scores increased. This interaction was specific to CT in prefrontal, frontal, temporal, and parietal cortical regions. The groups had marginally different A/D scores, in the direction of higher risk being associated with lower A/D scores. Results suggest that CT correlates of A/D symptoms are differentially shaped by the quality of early caregiving experiences and should be distinguished between high- and low-risk children.
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    Preliminary examination of the effects of an early parenting intervention on amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex resting-state functional connectivity among high-risk children: A randomized clinical trial
    (Development and Psychopathology, 2024-01-22) Korom, Marta; Valadez, Emilio A.; Tottenham, Nim; Dozier, Mary; Spielberg, Jeffrey M.
    We examined the long-term causal effects of an evidence-based parenting program delivered in infancy on children’s emotion regulation and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fc) during middle childhood. Families were referred to the study by Child Protective Services (CPS) as part of a diversion from a foster care program. A low-risk group of families was also recruited. CPS-involved families were randomly assigned to receive the target (Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up, ABC) or a control intervention (Developmental Education for Families, DEF) before infants turned 2. Both interventions were home-based, manualized, and 10-sessions long. During middle childhood, children underwent a 6-min resting-state functional MRI scan. Amygdala seed-based rs-fc analysis was completed with intervention group as the group-level predictor of interest. Fifty-seven children (NABC = 21; NDEF = 17; NCOMP = 19; Mage = 10.02 years, range = 8.08–12.14) were scanned successfully. The DEF group evidenced negative left amygdala↔OFC connectivity, whereas connectivity was near zero in the ABC and comparison groups (ABCvsDEF: Cohen’s d = 1.17). ABC may enhance high-risk children’s regulatory neurobiology outcomes ∼8 years after the intervention was completed.