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Intergenerational effects of racism on amygdala and hippocampus resting state functional connectivity

Kral, T. R. A., Williams, C. Y., Wylie, A. C., McLaughlin, K., Stephens, R. L., Mills-Koonce, W. R., Birn, R. M., Propper, C. B., Short, S. J.·2024·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-66830-3
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Abstract

Racism is an insidious problem with far-reaching effects on the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The pervasive negative impact of racism on mental health is well documented. However, less is known about the potential downstream impacts of maternal experiences of racism on offspring neurodevelopment. This study sought to examine evidence for a biological pathway of intergenerational transmission of racism-related trauma. This study examined the effects of self-reported maternal experiences of racism on resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in n = 25 neonates (13 female, 12 male) birthed by BIPOC mothers. Amygdala and hippocampus are brain regions involved in fear, memory, and anxiety, and are central nodes in brain networks associated with trauma-related change. We used average scores on the Experiences of Racism Scale as a continuous, voxel-wise regressor in seed-based, whole-brain connectivity analysis of anatomically defined amygdala and hippocampus seed regions of interest. All analyses controlled for infant sex and gestational age at the 2-week scanning session. More maternal racism-related experiences were associated with (1) stronger right amygdala rsFC with visual cortex and thalamus; and (2) stronger hippocampus rsFC with visual cortex and a temporo-parietal network, in neonates. The results of this research have implications for understanding how maternal experiences of racism may alter neurodevelopment, and for related social policy.

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Cited by

Metadata

Authors
Kral, T. R. A., Williams, C. Y., Wylie, A. C., McLaughlin, K., Stephens, R. L., Mills-Koonce, W. R., Birn, R. M., Propper, C. B., & Short, S. J.
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-07-24
Volume
14
Issue
1
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-024-66830-3
Cited by
6
References
20
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2024-08-20)
Licence
Funders
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD091148-05)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH018931-31)

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