INS NYC 2024 Program

Paper	Paper Session 13 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 01:45 pm - 03:15 pm Room: West Side Ballroom - Salon 4 Paper Session 13: Pediatric, Child, and Adolescent Neuropsychology Final Abstract #4 The Effects of Prenatal Acculturative Stress and Discrimination on Offsprings' Developing Functional Connectivity Cristin Holland, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, United States Kiarra Allyene, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States Antonette Davids, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, United States Arline Pierre-Louis, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, United States Claire Bang, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States Victoria Oyeneye, Rutgers University, Newark, United States Rebecca Kiflom, Columbia University, New York, United States Eileen Shea, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States Bin Cheng, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States Bradley Peterson, Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States Catherine Monk, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States Dustin Scheinost, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States Marisa Spann, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States Category: Neuroimaging Keyword 1: brain development Keyword 2: neuroimaging: functional connectivity Keyword 3: prenatal factors Objective: Ethnic, racial, and structural inequalities, which may lead to individual experiences of acculturative stress and discrimination, are increasingly recognized as contributors to health, and these experiences may affect pregnant individuals and their developing offspring. For example, acculturative stress and discrimination can have deleterious effects on pregnant individuals’ mental well-being and is associated with depression and anxiety. This study characterized acculturation and discrimination stressors during pregnancy in a sample of predominantly Hispanic adolescents and the associations of these stressors with their offspring’s neonatal functional connectivity and birth outcomes. Participants and Methods: A sample of 165 nulliparous predominantly Hispanic pregnant women, aged 14 to 19 years, were recruited through obstetrics and gynecology departments at two different hospitals. Participants completed three self-report measures on acculturation and discrimination during the 2^nd or 3^rd trimester: 1) the Acculturation, Habits, and Interests Multicultural Scale for Adolescents (AHIMSA), 2) the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH), and 3) the Experiences of Discrimination Scale (EOD). They also completed measures on maternal distress. A data-driven clustering of acculturation, discrimination, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, trauma, and sociodemographic variables during pregnancy were performed to determine whether acculturation clustered with other types of factors. Birth outcomes (gestational age and Apgar scores) for offspring were obtained from medical records. Infant MRIs occurred within the first five weeks of life to assess whole-brain seed connectivity from the right and left amygdala combined into a single seed. The time course of a reference region was computed as average time course across all voxels in the region, and this was correlated with time course for every other voxel in the gray matter to create a map reflecting seed-to-whole-brain connectivity. These r-values are transformed to z-values yielding a map for each seed, representing the strength of correlation with the seed for each participant. Results: Acculturation styles loaded onto separate factors from discrimination, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, trauma, and socioeconomic status. An optimal model of factors including only the AHIMSA and SASH led to the following three factors: assimilation-separation, assimilation-integration, and marginalized. Higher maternal report of assimilation-separation was associated with weaker connectivity between the amygdala and bilateral fusiform gyrus of their neonate. Infants whose mothers endorsed discrimination during pregnancy had weaker connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortices (medial and anterior), and stronger connectivity between the amygdala and the left fusiform gyrus. Acculturation factors and discrimination experience during pregnancy were not associated with offspring birth outcomes after correcting for multiple comparisons. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that maternal prenatal acculturative stress and discrimination may be additional stressors associated with neonatal functional connectivity of the amygdala. This is intriguing, as previous literature demonstrates an association between the fusiform and ethnic or racial processing in adults. Cautiously, results may suggest a similarity to studies with adults, noting that experience of acculturation or discrimination may have a possible effect on amygdala circuitry across generations. Further studies with a more diverse population of minoritized individuals and that use comprehensive assessment of ethnic, racial, and structural stressors are needed.

Paper

02/16/2024
01:45 pm - 03:15 pm
Room: West Side Ballroom - Salon 4

Paper Session 13: Pediatric, Child, and Adolescent Neuropsychology

Final Abstract #4

The Effects of Prenatal Acculturative Stress and Discrimination on Offsprings' Developing Functional Connectivity

Cristin Holland, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, United States
Kiarra Allyene, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States
Antonette Davids, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, United States
Arline Pierre-Louis, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, United States
Claire Bang, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States
Victoria Oyeneye, Rutgers University, Newark, United States
Rebecca Kiflom, Columbia University, New York, United States
Eileen Shea, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States
Bin Cheng, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States
Bradley Peterson, Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
Catherine Monk, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States
Dustin Scheinost, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
Marisa Spann, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States

Category: Neuroimaging

Keyword 1: brain development
Keyword 2: neuroimaging: functional connectivity
Keyword 3: prenatal factors

Objective:

Ethnic, racial, and structural inequalities, which may lead to individual experiences of acculturative stress and discrimination, are increasingly recognized as contributors to health, and these experiences may affect pregnant individuals and their developing offspring. For example, acculturative stress and discrimination can have deleterious effects on pregnant individuals’ mental well-being and is associated with depression and anxiety. This study characterized acculturation and discrimination stressors during pregnancy in a sample of predominantly Hispanic adolescents and the associations of these stressors with their offspring’s neonatal functional connectivity and birth outcomes.

Participants and Methods:

A sample of 165 nulliparous predominantly Hispanic pregnant women, aged 14 to 19 years, were recruited through obstetrics and gynecology departments at two different hospitals. Participants completed three self-report measures on acculturation and discrimination during the 2^nd or 3^rd trimester: 1) the Acculturation, Habits, and Interests Multicultural Scale for Adolescents (AHIMSA), 2) the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH), and 3) the Experiences of Discrimination Scale (EOD). They also completed measures on maternal distress. A data-driven clustering of acculturation, discrimination, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, trauma, and sociodemographic variables during pregnancy were performed to determine whether acculturation clustered with other types of factors. Birth outcomes (gestational age and Apgar scores) for offspring were obtained from medical records. Infant MRIs occurred within the first five weeks of life to assess whole-brain seed connectivity from the right and left amygdala combined into a single seed. The time course of a reference region was computed as average time course across all voxels in the region, and this was correlated with time course for every other voxel in the gray matter to create a map reflecting seed-to-whole-brain connectivity. These r-values are transformed to z-values yielding a map for each seed, representing the strength of correlation with the seed for each participant.

Results:

Acculturation styles loaded onto separate factors from discrimination, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, trauma, and socioeconomic status. An optimal model of factors including only the AHIMSA and SASH led to the following three factors: assimilation-separation, assimilation-integration, and marginalized. Higher maternal report of assimilation-separation was associated with weaker connectivity between the amygdala and bilateral fusiform gyrus of their neonate. Infants whose mothers endorsed discrimination during pregnancy had weaker connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortices (medial and anterior), and stronger connectivity between the amygdala and the left fusiform gyrus. Acculturation factors and discrimination experience during pregnancy were not associated with offspring birth outcomes after correcting for multiple comparisons.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that maternal prenatal acculturative stress and discrimination may be additional stressors associated with neonatal functional connectivity of the amygdala. This is intriguing, as previous literature demonstrates an association between the fusiform and ethnic or racial processing in adults. Cautiously, results may suggest a similarity to studies with adults, noting that experience of acculturation or discrimination may have a possible effect on amygdala circuitry across generations. Further studies with a more diverse population of minoritized individuals and that use comprehensive assessment of ethnic, racial, and structural stressors are needed.