Autonomic Coordination in Children is Dynamic, and Modulated by Cortical Engagement

• In Event: 3-123 - New Methodological Approaches and Applications in the Study of Children’s Multisystem Physiology

Integrative Statement

Psychophysiological measures are often employed as potential biomarkers of early cognitive and affective processes that may moderate children’s developmental trajectories. The majority of this research has focused on analysis of individual measures of physiological function, with relatively less attention to the coordinated dynamics among physiological systems, despite evidence that physiological coordination conveys additional insight into psychological processes. However, it is not yet known whether physiological coordination is best characterized as a trait- reflecting differences among individuals, or a state- reflecting differences among environmental demands.

Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that, for the prototypical child, indices of parasympathetic (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) and sympathetic (cardiac pre-ejection period; PEP) activation move in a cooperative pattern of coordination during an emotion induction task. Increases in sympathetic activation were accompanied by decreases in parasympathetic activation such that both branches contributed to a coordinated increase in arousal. Repeated annual assessments from kindergarten through 2nd grade indicated no evidence of systematic developmental change in autonomic coordination. Across ages, however, coordination was always greater during approach-oriented emotions than during avoid-oriented emotions, suggesting that children’s autonomic coordination is situationally responsive. In the present study we extend those findings by examining (a) whether the extent of autonomic coordination is modulated by children’s level of cognitive engagement (indexed by the P3b event-related potential) during a cognitive control task, and (b) whether children with relatively higher P3b amplitude demonstrate greater autonomic coordination (between-person association consistent with trait model) and/or children’s autonomic coordination is greater during situations when their cognitive engagement is greater (within-person association consistent with state model).

Physiological data were collected from 276 kindergarteners (Mage = 6.05, SD = .37) as they completed a go/no-go task with the goal of earning enough points to win a prize. The task was administered in 3 situation-specific blocks that lasted approximately 2.5 minutes each (30s breaks). In Block 1 the scoring algorithm strongly favored correct responses, resulting in a rapid accumulation of points. In Block 2 the algorithm strongly punished errors, resulting in loss of points (frustration). In Block 3 the original scoring was reinstated and points re-accumulated. Autonomic markers, RSA and PEP, were computed for each 30s epoch across the entire task. P3b amplitude was derived from all correct go-trials within each of the 3 blocks.

Results from multilevel models indicate that trait-level individual differences in P3b were unrelated to RSA dynamics across the task, and did not moderate the strength of coordination between PEP and RSA (no between-person association). However, state-level P3b amplitude did moderate RSA and PEP dynamics (within-person association). During epochs in which a child’s P3b amplitude was relatively higher, RSA tended to be relatively lower and, as shown in Figure 1, there was greater cooperative coordination between RSA and PEP.

These findings indicate that in middle childhood autonomic coordination is state dependent, and that cortical activation moderates autonomic coordination as needed to accomplish cognitive tasks. Developmental studies seeking to examine individual differences in autonomic coordination should select experimental tasks that pull for cooperative coordination among systems.

Authors

• Lisa Gatzke-kopp, Penn State University
  Presenting Author

• Lizbeth Benson, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Patrick Ryan, Penn State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nilam Ram, Penn State University
  Non-Presenting Author