818 - Impact of socioeconomic factors on early brain development

Publication Number: 818.5348

Carol Wilkinson, Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, United States; Haerin Chung, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Asher Liu, Boston Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL, United States; Brianna Francis, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Alex Job Said, Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, United States; Kathleen Conroy, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Helen Tager-Flusberg, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States; charles nelson, Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, United States

Background: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with developmental delays, increased social-emotional challenges, and poor academic achievement. Growing evidence suggests that SES also affects brain development. However, most research includes populations with a broad range of SES, making it difficult to isolate the impact of SES-related factors (e.g., reduced resources, parental stress) on brain development and outcomes.

Objective: This analysis aims to identify SES-associated factors that correlate with differences in brain activity within a socioeconomically disadvantaged population. We present preliminary analyses from an ongoing longitudinal study collecting EEG and SES-related data from infants attending a large hospital-based primary care clinic serving families with elevated rates of poverty and stress.

Design/Methods: Infants were enrolled at 4 months of age and parents completed the Perceived Stress Scale and a demographic questionnaire, including household income, a 5-point Likert scale for income sufficiency, and education level. The Child Opportunity Index (COI) was calculated as a measure of access to resources. Longitudinal resting-state EEG data was collected in the clinic at 4 months (n = 248), 9 months (n = 213), and 12 months (n = 183). Associations between SES factors and selected EEG measures known to mature across the first year of life (Total Aperiodic Activity, Alpha Peak Frequency and Amplitude, and Beta Peak Amplitude) were assessed using partial Spearman correlation with sex as a covariate. Enrolled infants will complete developmental assessments at 2-years-old.

Results: Spearman analysis found significant association between EEG measures and parent-reported income sufficiency at 12 months of age (rs = 0.19, p = 0.01). No significant associations were observed for other SES-related factors (Tbl2). Periodic power spectra for infants from “never” income-sufficient households (n=41) show sharply reduced EEG activity in the 20-40Hz range at 9- and 12-months of age (Fig1A). Kruskal-Wallis tests with Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc Dunn’s tests confirmed reduced Beta Peak Amplitude at 9- and 12-months in the “never” vs “always” sufficient groups (p-adjust = 0.02, 0.005, respectively, Fig1B). Preliminary analysis finds high rates of language delay (12/16) in the “never” sufficient group.

Conclusion(s): Parental report of income insufficiency, but not other SES variables, was associated with altered brain development, suggestive of delayed maturation as early as 9-months of age. Future analyses will explore associations between SES factors, EEG measures, and 2-year developmental outcomes.

Figure 1: Differences in EEG Power Spectra based on Income Insufficiency
Fig1.pdf

Sample Characteristics
Table 1.pdfDemographic information is provided for the first 250 participants enrolled in the study.

Partial Spearman Correlations at 12 months
Table 2.pdfSpearman correlation coefficients are shown for associations between SES and EEG variables.