Does improving early parenting practices optimize white matter and global structural network maturation? A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

A high-quality early parenting environment, involving a sensitive and nurturing caregiver, has a profound, lasting impact on human development. In contrast, exposure to childhood maltreatment jeopardizes brain development and heightens risks for developing psychopathology later in life. If improving the early parenting environment alters the neural developmental trajectory following experiences of childhood maltreatment, then we may be able to mitigate the risks for mental health problems. By leveraging the longitudinal follow-up data of a randomized controlled trial of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) intervention, the present study sought to understand if ABC participation during infancy altered the developmental trajectories of white matter microstructure and global network characteristics, relative to a control intervention. A low-risk sample without prior history of maltreatment was included for reference. The growth trajectories of commissural, projection, and association fibers, as well as graph density, global efficiency, and small worldness were examined. Results indicated that ABC adolescents exhibited a nonlinear trajectory of white matter development, marked by an initial decline followed by later increases in fractional anisotropy (FA), suggesting extended neuroplasticity. Conversely, control and low-risk adolescents exhibited more accelerated maturation, with linear increases in FA and earlier signs of myelination compared to ABC. At the global level, ABC adolescents maintained stable levels of global efficiency and small worldness over time, while control and low-risk youth showed age-related declines. The findings highlight the potential for early sensitive and nurturing parenting to foster neuroplasticity and support adaptive reorganization.