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. 2022 May 16;19(10):6055.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19106055.

Associations between Family Functioning and Maternal Behavior on Default Mode Network Connectivity in School-Age Children

Keila Rebello  1 , Luciana Monteiro Moura  1   2   3 , Ana Paula Arantes Bueno  1 , Felipe Almeida Picon  3   4 , Pedro Mario Pan  2   3 , Ary Gadelha  2   3 , Euripedes Constatino Miguel  3   5 , Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan  2   3 , Luis Augusto Rohde  3   4 , João Ricardo Sato  1   2   3   4
Affiliations

Associations between Family Functioning and Maternal Behavior on Default Mode Network Connectivity in School-Age Children

Keila Rebello et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Most early children's experiences will occur in a family context; therefore, the quality of this environment is critical for development outcomes. Not many studies have assessed the correlations between brain functional connectivity (FC) in important areas such as the default mode network (DMN) and the quality of parent-child relationships in school-age children and early adolescence. The quality of family relationships and maternal behavior have been suggested to modulate DMN FC once they act as external regulators of children's affect and behavior. Objective: We aimed to test the associations between the quality of family environment/maternal behavior and FC within the DMN of school-age children. Method: Resting-state, functional magnetic resonance imaging data, were collected from 615 children (6-12 age range) enrolled in the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort (HRC) study. We assessed DMN intra-connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and inferior parietal lobule (IPL-bilateral) regions. The family functioning was assessed by levels of family cohesiveness and conflict and by maternal behavior styles such as maternal responsiveness, maternal stimulus to the child's autonomy, and maternal overprotection. The family environment was assessed with the Family Environment Scale (FES), and maternal behavior was assessed by the mother's self-report. Results: We found that the quality of the family environment was correlated with intra-DMN FC. The more conflicting the family environment was, the greater the FC between the mPFC-left IPL (lIPL), while a more cohesive family functioning was negatively correlated with FC between the PCC-lIPL. On the other hand, when moderated by a positive maternal behavior, cohesive family functioning was associated with increased FC in both regions of the DMN (mPFC-lIPL and PCC-lIPL). Conclusions: Our results highlight that the quality of the family environment might be associated with differences in the intrinsic DMN FC.

Keywords: adolescence; default-mode network; family environment; parental practices childhood; resting State.

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Conflict of interest statement

Luis Augusto Rohde has been on the speakers’ bureau/advisory board and/or acted as a consultant for Eli-Lilly, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, and Shire in the last three years. The ADHD and Juvenile Bipolar Disorder Outpatient programmes chaired by Rhode have also received unrestricted educational and research support from the following pharmaceutical companies in the last three years: Eli-Lilly, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, and Shire. Rohde has also received travel grants from Shire for participation in the 2014 American Physiological Association and 2015 World Federation of ADHD congresses. Finally, he receives authorship royalties from Oxford Press and ArtMed. Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan has been on the speakers’ bureau/advisory board of AstraZeneca, Bristol, Janssen, and Lundbeck. Bressan has also received research grants from Janssen, Eli-Lilly, Lundbeck, Novartis, Roche, FAPESP, CNPq, CAPES, Fundação E.J. Safra, and Fundação ABAHDS. He is also a shareholder in Biomolecular Technology Ltd. Pan received payment or honoraria for lectures and presentations in educational events for Sandoz, Daiichi Sankyo, Eurofarma, Abbot, Libbs, Instituto Israelita de Pesquisa e Ensino Albert Einstein, Instituto D’Or de Pesquisa e Ensino.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histogram and descriptive statistics of participants age (in months).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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