Associations between EEG aperiodic slope, infant temperament, and
maternal anxiety/depression symptoms in infancy
Abstract
The aperiodic slope of the EEG power spectrum (characterized by a 1/fx
distribution in which power decreases as frequency increases) is
hypothesized to index the excitatory-inhibitory balance and has been
associated with various neurodevelopmental outcomes in older children
and adults. However, the dearth of research early in development led us
to investigate associations among EEG aperiodic slope, temperament, and
maternal internalizing (anxiety and depression) symptoms in a large
cohort of typically developing infants. Steeper slope was associated
with higher scores on the temperament domains of orienting/regulation
and surgency but was not associated with negative affectivity. Maternal
symptoms did not appear to be directly associated with slope, but slope
moderated the association between maternal symptoms and temperament.
Specifically, steeper slope was associated with a stronger negative
association between maternal internalizing symptoms and infant
orienting/regulation. These results demonstrate associations between
slope and behavior as early as infancy, which may reflect early
differences in the development of global inhibitory networks.
Longitudinal research in early childhood is necessary to better
understand the nature of these relations during development and their
potential impact on later socioemotional outcomes.