Browsing by Author "Qiu, Anqi"
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- PublicationMetadata onlyCognitive flexibility in preschoolers: A role for the late frontal negativity (LFN)(2022)
; ;Tan, Hong Kuang ;Loo, Soh Teng ;Adam Abdul Malik ;Tan, Kok Hian ;Gluckman, Peter D. ;Chong, Yap Seng ;Meaney, Michael J. ;Qiu, AnqiWhen our goals or plans change, we have to be able to flexibly switch to adapt to the current situation or demands. Cognitive flexibility is the mental process that allows us to alternate flexibly and align our behaviours accordingly. Cognitive flexibility emerges in early childhood, but little is known about the neural correlates supporting this ability early in life. In this study, five-year-olds performed the Dimension Change Card Sort (DCCS) task while we recorded their brain activity using scalp-recorded electroencephalography (EEG). As expected, children were slower to respond on trials requiring cognitive flexibility (i.e., post-switch trials). EEG recordings showed that a late occurring frontal negativity (LFN) was larger on post-switch trials than on pre-switch trials. An earlier occurring negativity, the N2, did not differ by switch demands, and was observed on both the pre- and post-switch trials. The findings from this study indicate that as in later stages of development the LFN may be an important neural marker underlying cognitive flexibility in early childhood.Scopus© Citations 1 269 - PublicationMetadata onlyLeft lateralization of neonatal caudate microstructure affects emerging language development at 24 months(2021)
;Tan, Ai Peng ;Ngoh, Zhen Ming ;Yeo, Shayne Siok Peng ;Koh, Dawn Xin Ping ;Gluckman, Peter D. ;Chong, Yap Seng ;Daniel, Lourdes Mary; ;Fortier, Marielle V. ;Qiu, AnqiMeaney, Michael J.The complex interaction between brain and behaviour in language disorder is well established. Yet to date, the imaging literature in the language disorder field has continued to pursue heterogeneous and relatively small clinical cross-sectional samples, with emphasis on cortical structures and volumetric analyses of subcortical brain structures. In our current work, we aimed to go beyond this state of knowledge to focus on the microstructural features of subcortical brain structures (specifically the caudate nucleus) in a large cohort of neonates and study its association with emerging language skills at 24 months. Variations in neonatal brain microstructure could be interpreted as a proxy for in utero brain development. As language development is highly dependent on cognitive function and home literacy environment, we also examined their effect on the caudate–language function relationship utilizing a conditional process model. Our findings suggest that emerging language development at 24 months is influenced by the degree of left lateralization of neonatal caudate microstructure, indexed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived fractional anisotropy (FA). FA is an indirect measure of neuronal and dendritic density within grey matter structures. We also found that the caudate–language function relationship is partially mediated by cognitive function. The conditional indirect effect of left caudate FA on language composite score through cognitive function was only statistically significant at low levels of home literacy score (−1 standard deviation [SD]). The authors proposed that this may be related to ‘compensatory’ development of cognitive skills in less favourable home literacy environments.WOS© Citations 2Scopus© Citations 2 34 - PublicationOpen AccessMaternal antenatal anxiety and electrophysiological functioning amongst a sub-set of preschoolers participating in the GUSTO cohort(2020)
;Tan, Hong Kuang; ;Tsotsi, Stella ;Bruntraeger, Michaela ;Chen, Helen Yu ;Broekman, Birit F. P. ;Tan, Kok Hian ;Chong, Yap Seng ;Meaney, Michael J. ;Qiu, AnqiBackground Antenatal maternal anxiety is a risk for offspring psychological and cognitive difficulties. The preschool years represent an important time for brain development, and so may be a window for intervention. However, electrophysiological investigations of maternal anxiety and preschoolers’ brain functioning are lacking. We ask whether anxiety symptoms predict neurophysiology, and consider timing specificity (26-weeks antenatal or 24-months postnatal), form of insult (anxiety symptoms, per se, or also depression symptoms), and offspring gender. Methods The sample consisted of a subset of 71 mothers and their 3 year old children taking part in the prospective birth cohort, GUSTO. Mothers provided antenatal (26 weeks) and postnatal (2 years) anxiety and depressive symptomatology data, respectively via the “State Trait Anxiety Questionnaire” and the “Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale.” Offspring provided electrophysiological data, obtained while they indicated the emotional expression of actors whose facial expressions remained consistent throughout a pre-switch block, but were reversed at “post-switch.” Results Three electrophysiological components linked to different information processing stages were identified. The two earliest occurring components (i.e., the N1 and P2) differed across blocks. During post-switch, both were significantly predicted by maternal anxiety, after controlling for pre-switch neurophysiology. Similar results were observed with depression. Antenatal mental health remained a significant predictor after controlling for postnatal mental health. Conclusion In combination with past work, these findings suggest the importance of reducing symptoms in women prior to and during pregnancy, and offering support to offspring early in development.WOS© Citations 5Scopus© Citations 4 244 65 - PublicationOpen AccessMaternal anxiety, parenting stress, and preschoolers' behavior problems: The role of child self-regulation(2019)
;Tsotsi, Stella ;Broekman, Birit F. P. ;Sim, Lit Wee ;Shek, Lynette Pei-Chi ;Tan, Kok Hian ;Chong, Yap Seng ;Qiu, Anqi ;Chen, Helen Yu ;Meaney, Michael J.Objective: Maternal anxiety is a well-known risk factor for early childhood behavior problems. In this study we explore (1) whether parenting stress mediates this relation, and also (2) whether child factors, namely self-regulation, modify the influence of maternal well-being on child externalizing and internalizing problems at 4 years of age. Method: Mothers taking part in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory when their children were 24 months of age. At 42 months children performed a self-regulation task (n=391) and mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). When children were 48 months, both parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: As predicted, parenting stress mediated the relation between maternal trait anxiety and child externalizing and internalizing problems. This mediating effect was further moderated by child self-regulation. The indirect effect of maternal trait anxiety through parenting stress on child externalizing problems was stronger among children with low self-regulation. Conclusion: Parenting stress is an additional pathway connecting maternal trait anxiety and children’s externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. The risk for child externalizing problems conveyed by elevated maternal trait anxiety and parenting stress may be buffered by better self-regulation in four-year-olds. These results suggest that interventions that include decreasing parenting stress and enhancing child self-regulation may be important to limiting the transgenerational impact of maternal trait anxiety.WOS© Citations 17 311 633 - PublicationOpen AccessMaternal sensitivity during infancy and the regulation of startle in preschoolers(2020)
;Tsotsi, Stella ;Borelli, Jessica L. ;Nurshuhadah Abdulla ;Tan, Hui Min ;Sim, Lit Wee ;Shamini Sanmugam ;Tan, Kok Hian ;Chong, Yap Seng ;Qiu, Anqi ;Chen, Helen YuCaregiving insensitivity and fear dysregulation predict anxiety symptoms in children. It is unclear, however, whether sensitive parental care during infancy predicts fear regulation later in childhood. To address this question, we asked whether observed maternal sensitivity, measured at 6 months, predicts 42-month-old children’s laboratory-induced fear responses (n=213) during a fear-eliciting episode. We predicted that higher levels of maternal sensitivity would be associated with greater fear regulation. We operationalized fear regulation as decreases in fear over repeated trials of a novel, potentially frightening, stimulus. Two aspects of fear responses were considered: expressed fear and startle. Expressed fear scores did not decrease over time but children exhibited less startle behavior in the second half of the task. Maternal sensitivity predicted this startle attenuation across trials. These findings highlight the contribution of maternal sensitivity during infancy to the development of fear regulation in early childhood, further suggesting its influence on offspring anxiety problems.WOS© Citations 8 109 171Scopus© Citations 6 - PublicationOpen AccessNeonatal brain and physiological reactivity in preschoolers: An initial investigation in an Asian sample(2021)
;Tsotsi, Stella; ;Borelli, Jessica L. ;Chong, Yap Seng ;Victor Samuel Rajadurai ;Chua, Mei Chien ;Broekman, Birit F. P. ;Meaney, Michael J.Qiu, AnqiParasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity is important to physiological regulation. Limbic structures are important in determining what information the PNS receives, potentially influencing concurrent physiological responsivity and, ultimately, shaping PNS development. Yet, whether individual differences in these structures are linked to PNS activity in early childhood remains unclear. Here, in an exploratory capacity, we examined the association between neonatal limbic structures (i.e., the left and right amygdala and hippocampus) and preschoolers’ resting-state respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). RSA is a measure of heart-rate variability, a physiological marker that reflects fluctuation in the PNS and is often found predictive of emotion regulation and psychological wellbeing. Data were extracted from the “Growing Up in Singapore towards Healthy Outcomes” (GUSTO) cohort (n = 73, 39 girls). Neonatal limbic volume was collected within two weeks after birth while infants were asleep. Resting-state RSA was collected during a coloring session at 42 months of age. After controlling for potential confounders, a Bonferroni-corrected significant association between neonatal left hippocampal volume and resting-state RSA emerged wherein larger hippocampal volume was associated with higher resting-state RSA. No significant associations were present between resting-state RSA and right or left amygdala, or right hippocampal volume. These findings contribute to an increasing body of evidence aiming at enhancing our understanding of neurobiological underpinnings of parasympathetic activity and modulation. Results are also discussed with reference to ideas concerning biological sensitivity to context, as both left hippocampal volume and resting-state RSA were previously found to moderate associations between adversity and psychological function.77 52