PROJECT SUMMARY
Early Life Adversity (ELA), defined as childhood experiences which require significant adaptation beyond the
child’s developmental stage, is of critical concern, as it is reliably predictive of increased risk for the leading
causes of morbidity and increased severity, chronicity, and overall risk for psychiatric disorders. Dysfunction in
neural reward and threat systems may represent a mechanism through which ELA increases risk for later
psychopathology; however, few studies have examined the proximal impact of ELA on reward and threat
processing in early childhood, prior to periods of enhanced risk for psychopathology onset. Conceptual models
suggest that different forms of ELA may differentially impact neural reactivity, and indeed, studies find that
experiences of threat to one’s safety may be more strongly linked to enhanced threat sensitivity while exposure
to deprivation, such as neglect, may be more strongly tied to blunted reward processing. Previous studies have
been limited by small sample sizes and adolescent or adult samples due to the cost-prohibitive,
developmentally-challenging nature of methods previously used (i.e., neuroimaging). Electroencephalogram
(EEG) may enhance investigations of ELA and neuroaffective processing, given that EEG is cost-effective and
developmentally sensitive. The reward positivity (RewP) is an event-related potential component which indexes
neural reward responsiveness while the error-related negativity (ERN) captures threat sensitivity. Preliminary
evidence indicates support for dysregulated processing styles (i.e., enhanced ERN, reduced RewP) related to
greater ELA exposure; however, this relationship has been relatively unexamined in children. In addition,
decomposition of ERP components into frequency rather than time-domains represents an innovative, novel
method for enhancing nuanced understanding of the targeted influence of ELA on neuroaffective processing.
The current proposal seeks to replicate and extend findings regarding relations between ELA and reward and
threat processing to an early childhood sample (n = 120 5-6 year olds) using reliable, developmentally-
sensitive neurophysiological tools. The candidate will first evaluate the impact of ELA, particularly experiences
of deprivation, on indices of reward processing (i.e., RewP, underlying delta; Aim 1). We will then test the
impact of ELA, particularly experiences of threat, on neural threat sensitivity (i.e., ERN, underlying theta; Aim
2). Finally, we will explore maternal caregiving as a moderator of ELA-affective processing relations (Aim 3).
The proposed aims will address the applicant’s training goals by providing: 1) knowledge of conceptual models
of ELA and key developmental constructs, 2) training in EEG collection, preprocessing, and advanced
analyses, and 3) advanced statistical training for developmental research. Findings have the potential to inform
targets for early, preventive intervention for ELA-exposed youth to alter risk sequelae for later psychopathology
and enhance overall health and human capital. The proposed F31 will contribute to the applicant’s career goal
of becoming an early career researcher examining predictors of affective dysfunction and internalizing risk.
