Dynamic Changes In Stress Physiology Predict Concurrent Executive Functions Performance In Low-Income Children

• In Event: 1-087 - Connecting environmental experience to the emergence of self-regulation: Insights from typical and atypical populations

Integrative Statement

Exposure to early-life environments of stress can influence the development and functioning stress physiology as well as cognitive processes such as executive functions (EF) (Blair, 2010; Shonkoff et al., 2009; Lupien et al. 2001). Considerable research has provided evidence for the role of stress physiology in both supporting and undermining EF (Arnsten, 2009; Blair & Ursache, 2012; Lupien et al., 2007). Additionally, the relation between EF and stress physiology has been associated with both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as indexed by cortisol, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, as indexed by inter-beat interval (IBI), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and alpha amylase (Berry et al., 2014; Blair et al., 2013). However, most related research has neither examined these two physiological systems in tandem nor evaluated dynamic changes of stress physiology activity while performing a cognitive task. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate both static and dynamic measures of stress physiology activity at rest and during a cognitive task and their relations to EF performance among a high-risk sample of children. We used data from a large longitudinal sample (N=1,292) of low-income children to investigate concurrent functioning of HPA axis and ANS activity in relation to EF when children were 48 months old. Children were seen in their homes and participated in a battery of EF tasks assessing working memory, inhibitory control, and attention switching. Before and after task administration, saliva samples were collected and assayed for cortisol and alpha amylase, and electrocardiography was recorded before (baseline) and during (reactivity) the EF tasks to measure RSA and IBI. Latent growth curves of RSA activity during the EF tasks were modeled to assess dynamic changes in ANS physiology and their relation to EF. We used structural equation modeling to predict EF performance from latent RSA growth curves as well as average measures of baseline RSA and IBI, and single point-in-time measures of cortisol and alpha amylase. Results revealed that baseline RSA (β = -0.177, SE = 0.085, p < 0.05) and rate of RSA change (i.e., slope) during the EF tasks (β = -0.177, SE = 0.061, p < 0.01) were negatively associated with EF (see Table 1). These results indicate that children with lower resting RSA and more regulated RSA activity during the EF tasks performed better. There were no associations between baseline IBI, alpha amylase, or cortisol and EF. However, there was an interaction between baseline RSA and baseline cortisol, such that higher cortisol negatively predicted EF, but only for children who also had higher baseline RSA (β = 0.079, SE = 0.032, p < 0.05). Importantly, these effects were observed while controlling for an earlier measure of EF and a host of socioeconomic and demographic covariates, including child age, sex, and race/ethnicity. These results provide insight into how ANS and HPA axis reactivity and regulation relate to children’s EF. Further, this study highlights the relevance of a multi-system approach in conjunction with static and dynamic measures of stress physiology to understanding children’s cognitive performance.

Group Authors

Family Life Project Key Investigators

Authors

• Stephen H. Braren, New York University
  Presenting Author

• Annie Brandes-Aitken, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Clancy Blair, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author