Isaac T. Petersen, Ph.D. - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed project is better understanding of mechanisms in the development of externalizing problems, including conduct and attention problems, with special emphasis on neural mechanisms. From a developmental perspective it is important to study neural functioning in relation to externalizing behavior befor behavior problems have become established. With more knowledge of the processes, early detection and prevention approaches may become more successful. The proposed study appears to be the first to chart the development of neural functioning in relation to externalizing problems in early childhood. The proposed longitudinal research seeks to identify neural mechanisms in the development of externalizing problems among children 2.5-3.5 years of age using event-related potentials (ERPs). ERPs are neural responses to stimuli measured by electroencephalography (EEG), with the potential to be biomarkers for dimensions of psychopathology at earlier ages than when externalizing symptoms typically become salient. The central hypothesis based on previous findings is that ERPs, including the N2 and P3 components, will predict the development of externalizing behavior problems, as mediated by self-regulation deficits. The rationale of the proposed research is that understanding early neural risk factors and mechanisms in externalizing problems may lead to more accurate identification of at-risk children and modifiable intermediate phenotypes. This in turn can lead to more cost-effective interventions and even prevention of behavior problems. The approach is innovative in longitudinally examining neural biomarkers in early childhood as predictors of externalizing problems, dimensions of disinhibition and sustained attention deficits rather than diagnostic categories. The proposed research is significant because it will identify more accurate early developmental mechanisms than behavioral markers by themselves, which may translate to more successful prevention. The proposed research will also identify better early behavioral indicators of the neural mechanisms of externalizing problems. These intermediate phenotypes for externalizing problems can become clinically practical assessment tools in early childhood. The project includes two specific aims: 1) Identify early neural biomarkers of the development of externalizing problems, and 2) Determine mechanisms underlying the development of externalizing problems. Aim 1 will examine whether the N2 and P3 ERP components predict the development of later externalizing problems reported by parents and secondary caregivers. Aim 2 will test whether the N2 and P3 predict later self-regulation deficits on lab tasks, which, in tun, lead to externalizing problems. We will also test other neural biomarkers to increase sensitivity and specificity for predicting the development of later externalizing problems. The study will follow children from 30 to 42 months, an era of accelerated neural development and increased externalizing problems that are becoming stable. Externalizing problems will be reported by parents and secondary caregivers. Self-regulation problems will be measured by behavioral tasks.

Project Summary Neural processes that influence school readiness in early childhood, a key time for intervention, and the cognitive processes that explain how parenting and neural processes influence school readiness remain poorly understood. There is a critical need to determine how cognitive control and its neural underpinnings develop and how these are influenced by parenting practices. The long-term goal is to develop more effective science- based interventions for behavioral and academic problems in children. The overall objective for the proposed longitudinal project is to determine how specific parenting processes, neural processes, and cognitive control processes promote school readiness in the transition from preschool to school entry. Our central hypothesis is that delayed development of cognitive control?at neural and psychological levels?results in cognitive control deficits in early childhood that prevent automatization and lead to the downstream development of externalizing and academic problems. Ineffective parenting practices are likely a key cause of delayed development of cognitive control. The rationale for the proposed research is that a detailed understanding of mechanistic pathways that explain how parenting and neural processes influence school readiness will enable the identification of novel strategies to prevent behavioral and academic problems. Guided by strong preliminary data, we will test the central hypothesis by pursuing three specific aims: 1) Identify neural indicators of cognitive control in early childhood that predict development of school readiness, 2) Identify cognitive control processes that explain how neural processes predict school readiness, and 3) Identify parenting practices that predict development of neural processes and cognitive control. Aim 1 will determine the extent to which response inhibition (N2 event-related potential, ERP) and novelty detection (P3 ERP) predict development of school readiness based on tests of academic skills and reports of externalizing behavior problems by parents and teachers. Aim 2 will identify the extent to which the neural indicators of cognitive control predict cognitive control on laboratory tasks, which, in turn, lead to school readiness. Aim 3 will determine the degree to which parenting sensitivity, autonomy support, and consistency that have been robustly associated with school readiness predict neural and cognitive control processes that, in turn, predict school readiness. The proposed research is innovative because it employs a new and transformative method of assessing cognitive control at multiple levels of analysis (neural and psychological) longitudinally and in relation to parenting and school readiness in early childhood. The proposed research is significant because it is expected to enable the design of early intervention and prevention strategies targeted to enhance children's response inhibition and novelty detection, translating to better cognitive control and school readiness. Ultimately, the results of the proposed research are expected to help develop strategies that identify and target young children at risk for a lack of cognitive control skills needed for school readiness and later success.