Impact of maternal childhood trauma on children?s fear neurobiology and internalizing psychopathology risk

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) will fund a $177,833 research study at Wayne State University to investigate the intergenerational impact of maternal childhood trauma on children's fear neurobiology and internalizing psychopathology risk. The 1-year study will enroll 120 Black American mother-child dyads to assess the relationship between maternal trauma history, PTSD symptoms, children's autonomic fear responses, and functional brain connectivity, and how these factors influence children's risk for internalizing disorders. The objective is to enable the principal investigator to develop expertise in studying the mechanisms of intergenerational trauma transmission, with the long-term goal of informing intervention strategies. The project will leverage a multidisciplinary mentorship team with expertise in child psychopathology, fear neurobiology, and advanced statistical methods.

Abstract

Childhood trauma is an epidemic that negatively impacts mental health across the lifespan. Research also indicates that parents' childhood trauma exposure may impact their children's risk for psychopathology, however, current understanding of whether and how trauma is transmitted intergenerationally is limited. The goal of this project is to understand whether maternal trauma history has intergenerational effects on behavioral, autonomic, and neural pathways that confer risk for internalizing psychopathology in children. This goal will be accomplished by enrolling a cohort of 120 black american (BA) mother-child dyads. Mothers' childhood trauma exposure, adult trauma exposure, and post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) symptoms will be assessed. Children (8- to 14-years-old) will complete a) assessments of internalizing psychopathology, b) a fear conditioning task and trauma interview while sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response is measured, and c) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) for resting state functional connectivity (rsfc) analyses. These data will be used to address three aims. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that children's internalizing psychopathology is positively associated with maternal childhood trauma exposure and 1B) whether this association is moderated by maternal ptsd symptoms. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that children's SNS responsivity during fear acquisition and trauma interview is positively associated with maternal childhood trauma, and 2B) whether this association is moderated by maternal ptsd symptoms. Aim 3 will test the hypothesis that maternal childhood trauma history is positively associated with frontoamygdala rsfc and 3B) whether this association is moderated by maternal ptsd symptoms. The objective of this K01 proposal is to enable the PI to become an independent investigator with expertise in intergenerational transmission of trauma, internalizing psychopathology, SNS responsivity, and rsfc in historically understudied and highly traumatized populations. The candidate's long-term goal is to establish an NIH-funded research program that identifies mechanisms for intergenerational transmission of trauma that can be targeted for intervention and treatment. The proposed training plan aligns closely with the research goals of this project and includes focused training on: (1) psychopathology in BA children, (2) fear neurobiology, including SNS responsivity and resting state fmri, (3) advanced statistical methods, and (4) career development. These goals will be accomplished with mentorship from experts in internalizing psychopathology in BA children and adults (DR. Neal-barnett), developmental rsfc (DR. Tottenham), biological pathways for intergenerational transmission of trauma (DR. Bale), SNS responsivity in developmental and traumatized populations (DR. Jovanovic), structural equation modeling (DR. Daugherty), and intergenerational research with BA families (DR. Delaney-black).