Early childhood cumulative risk is associated with decreased global brain measures, cortical thickness, and cognitive functioning in school-age children

Children exposed to multiple risk factors early in life are increasingly more likely to suffer from a host of cognitive impairments across development. However, little work has identified the neurobiological mechanisms linking early cumulative risk and cognitive functioning. The current study examined the impact of cumulative risk assessed during early childhood on neural and cognitive outcomes measured 3 years later when children were school-aged. Participants included 63 children assessed during preschool (age: M = 4.23 years, SD = 0.84) and 3 years later (age: M = 7.19 years, SD = 0.89). Early cumulative risk was defined by the presence of low family income, a single parent household, low parental education, child exposure to parental depression, child exposure to high parental hostility, and high levels of stressful life events. Children's exposure to stressors in the past year, cognitive abilities, and brain structure were assessed at follow-up. Early cumulative risk was prospectively associated with reduced total gray matter volume, cortex volume, right superior parietal and inferior parietal thickness, and poorer attention shifting and memory. Right superior parietal thickness mediated associations between early risk and recall memory. Results highlight neural variations associated with early cumulative risk and suggest potential neural pathways from early risk to later childhood cognitive impairments.

Automated summary

Children exposed to early cumulative risk factors are more likely to suffer from cognitive impairments in later childhood, with reduced gray matter volume, poorer attention shifting and memory. The thickness of the right superior parietal lobe mediates the association between early risk and memory recall.