Increased Default Mode Network Connectivity and Temperament Predict Internalizing Symptoms in Early Childhood
Halle Miller, Johanna Chajes, Tobias Grossmann
preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7528043/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Population | Typically developing children aged 4 to 6 years from a community sample |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Greater default mode network connectivity, higher negative affect, and lower surgency were significant independent predictors of internalizing symptoms in early childhood. |
Abstract
Abstract This study investigates the early neural and temperament precursors to internalizing psychopathology. Increased default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity and decreased frontoparietal network (FPN) connectivity are established neural signatures of internalizing disorders in adults, but it is unknown if these patterns represent early-emerging vulnerability. In a community sample of typically developing children aged 4 to 6 years, we examined the concurrent predictive power of resting-state functional connectivity and temperament for internalizing symptoms. We hypothesized that increased DMN connectivity, decreased FPN connectivity, and temperament traits of high negative affect and low surgency would predict higher internalizing problems. Functional connectivity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a child-friendly neuroimaging technique. Internalizing symptoms and temperament were assessed via parent report using the Child Behavior Checklist and Child Behavior Questionnaire, respectively. A multiple linear regression revealed that greater DMN connectivity, higher negative affect, and lower surgency were significant, independent predictors of internalizing symptoms. FPN connectivity was not a significant predictor. These findings suggest that a key neural signature of adult depression—DMN hyperconnectivity—is already associated with subclinical symptoms in early childhood, supporting its role as a primary vulnerability marker. The absence of an FPN association likely reflects the protracted maturation of this cognitive control network, pointing to a developmental lag in the emergence of distinct neural risk factors for internalizing disorders.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |