2-174 - Multi-method neuroimaging study of the impact of global adversity on the brain development in Bangladeshi children

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

In this symposium we will summarize the findings from a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation- funded project examining the biological and psychological toll of exposure to profound early adversity (e.g., chronic enteric disease, malnourishment, air/water pollution, family violence, maternal depression; see Figure 1). We are studying cohorts of 3, 6- and 36-month-old infants, all of whom have been well characterized biologically and medically. We will report on our neuroimaging findings (MRI, EEG, and fNIRS), our cognitive findings, and our qualitative outcomes (focusing on the home environment). Our MRI findings indicate reductions in gray and white matter; in white matter integrity; and in resting state connectivity. Our EEG findings indicate that poor living conditions, poor maternal “wellbeing”, and elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with variation (generally increased power) in children’s resting state EEG power; our NIRS findings indicate reductions in resting state connectivity and reduced oxy Hb responses in a social – nonsocial stimulus discrimination task. Cognitive assessments indicate that children’s cognitive scores are predicted by a range of adversities including low levels of maternal education, poor nutrition (low height-for-age), high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and parents engaging in fewer stimulating activities. Finally, our qualitative data suggest that there are high levels of domestic violence, maternal depression and overall stress among families participating in the study. Overall, these findings offer the first glimpse of the neuro-, psycho- and biological embedding of profound early adversity in a low resource setting .

Sub Unit

• Biology and Neuroscience

Chair

• Charles A. Nelson, Harvard Medical School

Individual Presentations

• Contextualizing early childhood adversity in urban Bangladesh & characterizing effects on cognition & executive functioning - Presenting Author: Annie Berens, Boston Children's Hospital; Sarah K.G. Jensen, Boston Children's Hospital; Swapna Kumar, Boston Children's Hospital; Alissa Westerlund, Boston Children's Hospital; Katherine Perdue, Boston Children's Hospital; Charles A. Nelson, Harvard Medical School

• Impact of poverty and associated biological and psychosocial adversity on EEG power in young children in poor urban Bangladesh - Presenting Author: Sarah K.G. Jensen, Boston Children's Hospital; Swapna Kumar, Boston Children's Hospital; Alissa Westerlund, Boston Children's Hospital; Katherine Perdue, Boston Children's Hospital; Annie Berens, Boston Children's Hospital; Charles A. Nelson, Harvard Medical School

• Using fNIRS to assess social cognition in urban Bangladeshi toddlers - Presenting Author: Katherine Perdue, Boston Children's Hospital; Swapna Kumar, Boston Children's Hospital; Alissa Westerlund, Boston Children's Hospital; Sarah Lloyd-Fox, Birkbeck College; Clare Elwell, University College London; Charles A. Nelson, Harvard Medical School

• Atypical brain development in Bangladeshi infants exposed to profound early adversity - Presenting Author: Yingying Wang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Swapna Kumar, Boston Children's Hospital; Danielle Sliva, Boston Children's Hospital; Meaghan Mauer, Boston Children's Hospital; Alissa Westerlund, Boston Children's Hospital; Charles A. Nelson, Harvard Medical School; Nadine Gaab, Boston Children's Hospital