Associations Between Perceived Family Resources and Cortical Morphology in Young Children With Varying SES

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Biological Processes: Neuroscience and Genetics

Abstract

Children reared in low SES contexts are at heightened risk for cognitive delays, particularly in domains related to executive function, such as inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (Farah et al., 2006; Hair et al., 2015; Kishiyama et al., 2008). Additional work points to alterations in the development of neural systems that support these higher-level cognitive skills. Cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA), measures of cortical morphology, are dynamic throughout development and have been associated with age-related outcomes in executive function tasks (Kharitonova et al., 2013; Østgård et al., 2016). SES seems to affect this relationship (Ursache & Noble, 2016). Additionally, accessibility for family resources is a powerful tool for assessing child outcomes (Fuller et al., 2019; Van Horn et al., 2001) Little is known on how parents’ perceptions of resources contribute to neurodevelopmental growth in children in the context of SES. The Family Resource Scale (FRS) is a validated measure that determines perceived family resources. In addition to a total score, a subdomain of growth and support (GS), which measures physical and social support within and outside the household, can be assessed.

In our sample, we examined the effects of SES and perceived family GS on CT and SA in the superior, middle, and orbitofrontal areas of the brain (regions of interest; ROIs), given their roles in working memory, attention, and decision-making. Our sample consisted of 37 children aged 4 to 7 years from the Houston metropolitan area (mean age = 5.08, SD = 0.86). Caregivers completed a demographics interview and FRS. We measured SES by calculating the income-to-needs ratio of each family based on annual income and household size. We obtained MRI scans of the children and processed T1-weighed images to obtain CT, SA, and curvature measures of our ROIs. Our results indicated that perceived family GS was positively associated with CT at the left and right superior frontal gyrus and the right caudal middle frontal gyrus, after controlling for SES, child age and gender. Family GS was negatively associated with SA at the left caudal middle frontal gyrus. We did not find associations of SES and family GS with cortical curvature of the ROIs.

Although previous research demonstrates an effect of SES on frontal CT and SA, we did not find a direct relationship in our sample (Brito et al., 2017; Lawson et al., 2013). However, our results are consistent with data demonstrating increased perceived social support associated with greater CT (Fuller et al., 2019; Sherman et al., 2016), suggesting a powerful effect of parents’ perception to care for the family over objective income. With cellular pruning throughout childhood, cortical thinning may be observed (Shaw et al., 2006). Research however presents cognitive outcomes may be associated with the trajectory of CT changes, rather than the thickness itself (Sowell, 2004). Further research is needed to demonstrate whether family resource perception affects frontal CT and SA in a longitudinal manner. Future direction for our data involves incorporating these results with neurocognitive outcomes from the same sample.

Authors

• Livia Merrill, University of Houston
  Presenting Author

• Shutian Shen, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Johanna R Bick, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author