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Longitudinal investigation of the relations among stress, brain activity, neurocognitive skill, and socioemotional functioning during infancy

Award Number: R00HD104923
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2026

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Longitudinal investigation of the relations among stress, brain activity, neurocognitive skill, and socioemotional functioning during infancy - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Chronic stress is a profound predictor of detrimental outcomes in children, including lower scores on assessments of cognitive and socioemotional skills essential for academic achievement and increased incidence of developmental delays and health problems. In infancy, mounting evidence has linked chronic maternal stress to alterations in resting neural activity. Correlational and theoretical work suggests changes in early resting neural activity may be an early predictor of later language, cognitive, and socioemotional skills, all essential for school readiness. However, the functional significance of stress-related alterations in brain activity for school readiness is unclear. Furthermore, while maternal stress appears to shape infant brain function, work suggests relations between infant brain function and concurrent language and neurocognitive skills are weak or nonexistent. This suggests that relations between brain activity and behavior may not emerge until later in development (e.g., preschool). Understanding the mechanisms by which chronic stress shapes school readiness skills is essential, as research suggests achievement gaps begin long before school entry and that targeted interventions must rely on an understanding of how environmental influences shape young learners. The proposed research will leverage multivariate stress assessment and multimodal assessments to test a novel framework detailing how stress shapes school readiness skills in children. The proposed research will follow 100 mother-child dyads across the preschool years (ages 3;0-4;11) to address two specific aims. Aim 1 will characterize how maternal and child stress prospectively predict concurrent and longitudinal patterns of child brain activity. In turn, Aim 2 will examine how stress-related patterns of brain activity predict changes in cognitive and socioemotional functioning in the year before school entry. This work is a natural continuation of my findings and training from the K99 phase and establishes the applicant’s independent program of research at Teachers College, Columbia University. The proposed research will provide important insights into how children’s experience of stress shapes their neurocognitive functioning and school readiness. Understanding these pathways is essential for reducing achievement gaps and may ultimately inform interventions aimed at supporting children experiencing stress in order to provide a foundation for optimal development.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $348,276 )
2025	2025	TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY	525 W 120TH ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	5	8/22/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$99,279
2025	2025	TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY	525 W 120TH ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	5	8/12/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$248,997
														Subtotal = $348,276

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $246,507 )
2024	2024	TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY	525 W 120TH ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	4	9/3/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$246,507
2024	2023	TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY	525 W 120TH ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	3	8/5/2024	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
														Subtotal = $246,507

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $249,000 )
2023	2023	TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY	525 W 120TH ST	NEW YORK	NY	10027	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	3	8/18/2023	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$249,000
														Subtotal = $249,000

Grand Total All Awards = $843,783

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Longitudinal investigation of the relations among stress, brain activity, neurocognitive skill, and socioemotional functioning during infancy

Award Number: R00HD104923

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2026

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