How early brain activity and parenting affect childhood anxiety risk
Precursors of Anxiety: The Role of Lateralized Brain Activation and Maternal Sensitivity
This work looks at whether infants' brain activity patterns together with mothers' sensitive caregiving relate to early fearful behavior and later anxiety risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pullman, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11247596 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's viewpoint, researchers follow infants through the first year(s) to watch how early fearful reactions and brain signals change over time. Babies will wear simple EEG caps so scientists can measure left-right frontal brain activity while their behavior is observed. Mothers will answer questions and take part in tasks that show how they interact sensitively with their infant. The team will link patterns of brain changes and infant fearfulness with caregiving quality to see which combinations predict higher anxiety risk later.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are infants in their first year and their primary caregivers who can attend lab visits for EEG and behavioral visits.
Not a fit: Adults with established anxiety or families unable to complete infant lab visits or EEG measurements are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify infants at higher risk for anxiety earlier and point to parenting-based supports to reduce that risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked infant fearful temperament and right-frontal EEG patterns with later anxiety, but examining how left-right brain changes unfold across infancy with maternal sensitivity as a moderator is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Pullman, United States
- Washington State University — Pullman, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gartstein, Maria a. — Washington State University
- Study coordinator: Gartstein, Maria a.
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.