Income insufficiency impacts early brain development in infants facing increased psychosocial adversity: A network-based approach

Early adversity is associated with brain changes that negatively impact development, social-emotional functioning, and academic achievement. The multifaceted nature of adversity complicates efforts to isolate specific factors that affect brain development and developmental outcomes. In the present study, we leverage parent survey data and longitudinal electroencephalography (EEG) data collected from infants during 4-, 9-, and 12-mo well-child visits at a large hospital-based urban primary care clinic serving predominantly low-income families (293 infants, 667 EEGs). Using a network framework, we aimed to identify specific socioeconomic and psychological factors associated with differences in infant brain development. We find that mothers who report to be income insufficient were more likely to have lower educational attainment, report low-income, experience higher levels of stress, and encounter more adverse life events. Controlling for these variables, income insufficiency was specifically associated with delayed brain development in the first year of life; infants developing in a household where parents felt their income was inadequate to support the family's needs exhibited slower rates of change in alpha peak frequency, alpha power, and beta power. Together, these findings provide a framework of understanding and visualizing how early adversity impacts neurodevelopment and provides evidence for the potential utility of maternal income sufficiency as an additional screening tool to accelerate identification of populations most vulnerable and in need for early intervention.