How attention-related brain networks develop from birth through early school age and relate to childhood anxiety
Longitudinal Development of Attention-Related Brain Networks from Birth to School-Age and Risk for Anxiety Disorders
['FUNDING_R01'] · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · NIH-11241122
Researchers are following children from birth through early school age to learn whether early attention brain systems are linked to later anxiety.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (SAINT LOUIS, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11241122 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If my baby joins, researchers will follow them from birth through early school age with brain imaging and behavioral visits to track how two attention-related brain networks (the ventral attention network and the fronto-parietal network) develop. They will include babies at higher risk for anxiety because of family history or early anxious behaviors and compare them to lower-risk children. By combining newborn brain scans with repeated check-ins during infancy and the preschool years, they aim to see which early brain patterns relate to later anxiety. This work could point to earlier ways to spot risk or to treatments that target attention systems to prevent or reduce anxiety symptoms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are newborns and young children from birth through early school age, especially those with a family history of anxiety or early anxious behaviors.
Not a fit: Adults and people seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to receive direct therapeutic benefit from this observational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify children at risk earlier and guide new prevention or treatment approaches that target attention-related brain systems.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier work, including from this team, found comparable early differences in attention networks in newborns, but extending those findings through long-term follow-up to predict later anxiety is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
SAINT LOUIS, UNITED STATES
- WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY — SAINT LOUIS, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SYLVESTER, CHAD MICHAEL — WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: SYLVESTER, CHAD MICHAEL
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Anxiety Disorders