BackHome
Refresh: OffView Personal Schedule
Individual Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

Electrophysiological Correlates of Inhibitory Control in Children: Relations with Early Risk Factors and Child Psychopathology

Fri, March 24, 8:30 to 10:00am, Salt Palace Convention Center, Meeting Room 355 F

Abstract

Inhibitory control refers to the cognitive ability to suppress a dominant response that is no longer required or adaptive in favor of a subdominant and required response (Rothbart & Rueda, 2005). Inhibitory control plays an important role in children’s cognitive and socioemotional development as well as well-being and psychopathology (e.g., Hillman et al., 2012; Olson et al., 2011; Yavuz et al., 2022). Inhibitory control can be measured through electrophysiological assessments including event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency analysis of electroencephalography (EEG). However, the majority of studies have focused on ERP analyses, and few have examined time-frequency approaches to assess children’s inhibitory control. In addition, although environmental factors within the family, including socioeconomic status (SES) and parents’ psychopathology have been found to predict children’s inhibitory control (Choe et al., 2014; Xing et al., 2019), few studies examined longitudinal relations between these environmental factors and electrophysiological assessments of children’s inhibitory control. Thus, in the present study, we used both ERP components and time-frequency measures of inhibitory control to evaluate the longitudinal relations with prenatal risk factors and children’s psychopathology.

Child-mother dyads (N = 572; age range = 4-11 years (Mage=7.13 years); 51.75% females, 81.23% non-Latinx White) were recruited. Children’s ERP (N2 and P3) amplitude and latency to peak, and delta/theta power, latency to peak, and consistency across trials were measured through a child-friendly Go/No-Go task. The difference between the Go (activation) and No-Go (inhibition) conditions was used to represent children’s inhibitory control. Concurrent with the EEG assessment, mothers reported children’s internalizing and externalizing problems using The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997). During the prenatal period, mothers reported their income, education, health insurance (public assistance or commercial insurance), depression (Edinburgh Depression Scale, Prenatal; Bergink et al., 2011), and anxiety (The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Spielberger et al., 1971).

Three structural equation models were conducted to examine if ERP measures (Model 1), theta measures (Model 2), and delta measures (Model 3) acted as mediators between early risk factors and children’s psychopathology. Results showed that prenatal SES negatively predicted children’s N2 latency to peak, b = -.28, p = .001. Children’s P3 amplitude was negatively related to their internalizing problems, b = -.06, p = .034. Prenatal maternal psychopathology negatively predicted children’s delta consistency across trials, b = -.12, p = .044. Prenatal SES positively predicted children’s theta power, b = .17, p = .033, which was also negatively related to children’s externalizing problems, b = -.36, p = .037. Moreover, mediation analyses suggested that theta power was a significant mediator in the negative relation between prenatal SES and children’s externalizing problem (see Figure 1) [95% bootstrapped CIs -.205, -.006]. In addition, prenatal SES negatively and prenatal maternal psychology positively predicted children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. Consistent with previous findings (Buzzell et al., 2020), the results further support the role of mediofrontal theta in linking early risk factors to later children’s psychopathology. Moreover, results highlight the importance of examining both ERPs and time frequency measures as electrophysiological assessments of children’s inhibitory control.

Authors