Hasse Karlsson

The ability to differentiate between different facial expressions is an important part of human social and emotional development that begins in infancy. Studies have shown that within the first year of life, infants develop a distinctive attentional bias towards fearful facial expressions. Investigations into the neural basis for this bias have highlighted the significance of the amygdala. The amygdala's role in directing attention towards fearful facial expressions underscores its importance in early emotional development, significantly influencing how infants interpret and react to facial expressions. To date, no studies have been conducted to investigate the associations between the amygdala microstructure and infants' perception of emotional faces. This study aimed to elucidate this relationship while also investigating whether this association is sex specific. We measured the amygdala microstructural properties using diffusion tensor imaging mean diffusivity (MD) measurements in 40 healthy infants aged 2 to 5 weeks. Eye tracking was used to assess attention disengagement from fearful vs. non-fearful (happy and neutral) facial expressions as well as scrambled non-face control picture at 8 months. Generally, infants were age-typically less likely to disengage from fearful faces than from non-fearful faces towards salient distractors. A significant negative association was observed between the right amygdala MD measures and disengagement probability from fearful faces in the overall sample. Moreover, there was a positive association between the bilateral amygdala MD measures and the disengagement probability from scrambled non-face control …

BackgroundPatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) can present with altered brain structure and deficits in cognitive function similar to aging. Yet, the interaction between age-related brain changes and brain development in MDD remains understudied. In a cohort of adolescents and adults with and without MDD, we assessed brain aging differences and associations through a newly developed tool quantifying normative neurodevelopmental trajectories.Methods304 MDD participants and 236 non-depressed controls were recruited and scanned from three studies under the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network for Depression. Volumetric data were used to generate brain centile scores, which were examined for: a) differences in MDD relative to controls; b) differences in individuals with versus without severe childhood maltreatment; and c) correlations with depressive symptom severity, neurocognitive …

BackgroundIn this study we examined the association between childhood maltreatment exposure (CME) and psychological distress, including symptoms of depression and anxiety, during pregnancy. Additionally, we explored the potential moderating effect of trait resilience on these associations.MethodsThe study is part of the ongoing FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. The sample consisted of 3016 mothers and 1934 fathers. The data were collected using self-report questionnaires, including EPDS, SCL-90, CD-RISC-10 and TADS. We conducted ANOVAs and linear logistic regression analyses to examine the associations between depression, anxiety, resilience, and CMEs.ResultsCMEs were associated with increased psychological distress, including depression symptoms and anxiety, and decreased trait resilience among both mothers and fathers. Additionally, trait resilience had a moderating effect on the …

Studies have reported mixed findings regarding the effects of mother-infant interaction and maternal distress on children’s negative emotional reactivity. In the current study (N = 134 and 107), we examined the effects of maternal Emotional Availability (sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness and non-hostility) and maternal psychological distress on negative reactivity among children in the FinnBrain birth cohort study. In addition, the possible moderating effect of mother-infant interaction on the associations between maternal psychological distress and children's negative reactivity was examined. We used questionnaires to asses maternal psychological distress, observations of mother-infant interaction and observations as well maternal reports of child temperament to overcome the key limitations of many studies relying on single-method assessments. Our results showed that higher maternal sensitivity and …

PurposeIn the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems have been reported, and parents of young children may be more vulnerable to psychological distress due to increased caregiving responsibilities. However, research on the heterogeneity of the longitudinal course of psychological symptoms during the pandemic and the predispositions linked with these courses is still scarce. This study aimed to identify differential trajectories of depressive symptoms among the parents of young children and investigate the role of temperament traits, alexithymia, and coping styles in the heterogeneity of the symptom trajectories.MethodsThe sample consists of 844 parents from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Latent growth mixture modeling was utilized to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms from pre-pandemic between 2014 and 2019 (T0, the closest available measurement was used) to May/June …

Maternal prenatal distress can participate in the programming of offspring development, in which exposure to altered maternal long-term cortisol levels as measured by hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) may contribute. Yet, studies investigating whether and how maternal prenatal HCC associates with problems in child socioemotional development are scarce. Furthermore, questions remain regarding the timing and potential sex-specificity of fetal exposure to altered cortisol levels and whether there are interactions with maternal prenatal distress, such as depressive symptoms. The subjects were drawn from those FinnBrain Birth Cohort families that had maternal reports of child socioemotional problems (the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment [BITSEA] at 2 years and/or the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] at 5 years) as follows: HCC1 population: maternal mid-pregnancy HCC …

Background Maternal depression and anxiety have distinct constellations of symptom trajectories, which are associated with factors that may vary between different groups of women. The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of women who exhibit unique longitudinal trajectory patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum and the antenatal predictors associated with these maternal groups. Methods The study used a longitudinal data collected from 615 women in Saskatchewan from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum. Semiparametric group-based models were used to identify latent maternal depressive and anxiety trajectory groups. Multinomial logit models were then used to assess the association between maternal characteristics and the identified latent trajectory groups. Results …

We aimed to identify parents’ dental anxiety trajectories and the association of the trajectories with the number of parents’ and their children’s oral healthcare procedures in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Dental anxiety was measured with the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale at gestational weeks (gw) 14 and 34, as well as 3 and 24 months (mo) after childbirth. Oral healthcare procedures from gw14 to 24 mo were obtained from the national patient data register and categorized as preventive and treatment. Trajectories were identified with latent growth mixture modelling for 2068 fathers and 3201 mothers. Associations between trajectories and procedures adjusted for education were analyzed using unordered multinomial logit models. Fathers’ trajectories were stable low (80.1%), stable high (3.4%), stable moderate (11.0%), moderate increasing (3.9%) and high decreasing (1.6%). Mothers’ trajectories were stable low (80.7%), stable high (11.2%), moderate increasing (5.3%) and high decreasing (2.8%). Mothers with decreasing dental anxiety had a higher number of preventive and treatment procedures. Fathers with decreasing dental anxiety had a higher number of preventive and treatment procedures, while fathers with increasing dental anxiety had fewer procedures. Children of mothers with stable low dental anxiety had higher number of preventive procedures. There seems to be a two-way association between dental anxiety trajectories and oral healthcare procedures.

ObjectiveExpecting mothers with high sense of coherence (SOC) exhibit improved physical, emotional, and childbearing health. However, the dimensions of SOC and the factor structure of the SOC-13 scale during prenatal period is slightly known. Especially the differences in experiencing SOC and its components (comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness) among both expecting parents (mothers and fathers) is poorly understood. The association between SOC and mood disorder symptoms (depression and anxiety) during pregnancy is scarcely studied.MethodsThe structure of the SOC-13 scale, differences in SOC experiences, and the associations between SOC and depressive and anxiety symptoms were studied in a sample of 2784 pregnant women (mothers) and 1661 men/partners (fathers) belonging to the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Self-reports (SOC-13, EPDS, SCL-90: ANX) from gestational …

It has been suggested that infants’ age-typical attention biases for faces and facial expressions have an inherent connection with the parent–infant interaction. However, only a few previous studies have addressed this topic. To investigate the association between maternal caregiving behaviors and an infant’s attention for emotional faces, 149 mother–infant dyads were assessed when the infants were 8 months. Caregiving behaviors were observed during free-play interactions and coded using the Emotional Availability Scales. The composite score of four parental dimensions, that are sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness, and non-hostility, was used in the analyses. Attention disengagement from faces was measured using eye tracking and face-distractor paradigm with neutral, happy, and fearful faces and scrambled-face control pictures as stimuli. The main finding was that lower maternal emotional availability …

Research has revealed a rise in family relationship problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among couples with young children. However, longitudinal studies spanning the prepandemic and pandemic periods are rare. In this study, we examined changes in couple functioning during these periods. Moreover, we investigated the mediation and moderation effects of couple functioning on the association between COVID-19 stressors and harsh parenting. A total of 545 mothers (mean age 38 years, range 23–48 years) completed questionnaires on couple functioning during the prepandemic (2016–2020) and early pandemic (May–June 2020) periods. During the early pandemic, they also reported exposure to COVID-19 stressors and engaging in harsh parenting (eg, conflicts and maltreatment). We found no overall deterioration in couple functioning during the early pandemic. Furthermore, COVID-19 …

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance of parents’ assessments of their child’s dental fear. Cross-sectional secondary analysis used data from the multidisciplinary FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Child dental fear was assessed at age 5 with the Finnish translation of the modified Children’s Fear Survey Schedule Dental Subscale (CFSS-M) by both fathers (n = 588) and mothers (n = 1100). Reply alternatives were from 1 = not afraid to 5 = very afraid and 6 = no experience coded as missing and 1. In total, 514 mother–father pairs were eligible for the analyses. Descriptive statistics, percentage agreement and Cohen’s Kappa coefficients were used in the analyses. The concordance of parents’ assessments was poor (Kappa range 0.072–0.258). The majority of parents replied “No Experience” to items related to invasive treatment or being unable to breathe. Thus, coding of this reply alternative had a significant impact on the mean values of the child’s fear. When assessing the fear of a five-year-old child, it might not be safe to rely only on one parent’s assessment, and whether or not the child has experience with the question asked should also be considered.

PurposeSleep disturbances, which are common during pregnancy, may compromise labor. Nevertheless, little is known about associations between sleep disturbances and the likelihood to end with IOL. Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate the connections between sleep disturbances during pregnancy and IOL.MethodsAltogether 1778 women from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study with gestation weeks over 37+ 6 were enrolled in the study. The women were divided into IOL (n= 331) and spontaneous onset of labor (SOL, n= 1447) groups. Sleep disturbances in late pregnancy were evaluated using the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with adjustments for age, body mass index, parity, smoking, depressive symptoms, and mode of delivery.ResultsSleep disturbances were frequent in both IOL and SOL groups. In the IOL group 43.0% and in the SOL group 39.0% had poor general sleep quality (P= 0.186). Nocturnal awakenings occurred most commonly, in 94.0% and 93.9%, respectively (P= 0.653). In the IOL group, more women (22.7%) were habitual snorers than in the SOL group (17.0%, P= 0.017), however, the difference lost the statistical significance in adjusted analysis (P= 0.848). Women in the IOL group were more likely to be short sleepers (< 7 h) compared to those in the SOL group (20.2% and 15.4%, respectively, P= 0.034) with no difference after adjustment (P= 0.133). The two groups showed no differences in sleep loss (P= 0.252).ConclusionsDeterioration in sleep quality was noticeable in pregnant women, but it was unconnected with IOL. As the frequency of IOL is increasing, more …

Objective Little is known about the normative courses of pregnancy‐related anxiety throughout pregnancy and their antecedents. We examined in a large scale pregnancy cohort which potentially distinct trajectories of pregnancy‐related anxiety across pregnancy can be identified, and which factors predict these trajectories. Methods A general sample of pregnant women (n = 2928) from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort participated in this study. Several questionnaires were filled in at 14, 24, and 34 weeks of gestation, including the pregnancy‐related anxiety questionnaire‐revised as main outcome. Latent Growth Mixture Modeling was applied to identify the trajectories of pregnancy‐related anxiety across pregnancy, and t‐tests and chi‐quare tests were conducted to find antecedents of these trajectories. Results Two distinct trajectories were identified: (1) a low symptoms group, N = 2594 (88.6%), with lower and …

BackgroundPatterns of sensory inputs early in life play an integral role in shaping the maturation of neural circuits, including those implicated in emotion and cognition. In both experimental animal models and observational human research, unpredictable sensory signals have been linked to aberrant developmental outcomes, including poor memory and effortful control. These findings suggest that sensitivity to unpredictable sensory signals is conserved across species and sculpts the developing brain. The current study provides a novel investigation of unpredictable maternal sensory signals in early life and child internalizing behaviors. We tested these associations in three independent cohorts to probe the generalizability of associations across continents and cultures.MethodThe three prospective longitudinal cohorts were based in Orange, USA (n = 163, 47.2 % female, Mage = 1 year); Turku, Finland (n = 239 …

BackgroundHPA axis development is an interplay between genes, pre- and postnatal environment. Longitudinal hair steroid assessments are scarce and only two studies (Dauegaard et al., 2020; de Kruijff et al., 2021) have included fathers' measurements. We assessed longitudinal associations between parental prenatal and later child hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and cross-sectional maternal, paternal and child HCC associations during early childhood and the pandemic.MethodsSubjects were drawn from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort. Parental prenatal HCC was measured at gwk24. Child and parental HCC were measured at 2.5 and 5 years, and after the Covid-19 outbreak in June 2020 (child age 4-8 y) and June 2021. Prenatal analyses were performed with ELISA and postnatal with LC-MS/MS. The regression models were adjusted for maternal education, child sex and age.ResultsMaternal prenatal HCC …

BackgroundWe have shown associations between maternal prenatal psychological distress (PPD) and infant fecal microbiota composition among 2.5-month-olds (Aatsinki et al., 2020) as well as cortisol stress responses among 2.5 and 14 months old infants (Kortesluoma et al., 2020, 2021). Colonizing gut microbiota (GM) may have an impact on the development of the immature microbiota-gut-brain-axis via produced metabolites, proposedly influencing the brain functions including neuroendocrine responses to stress. We are researching the role of GM functioning i.e. fecal metabolites in the cortisol stress responses among infants exposed to PPD.Methods2.5-month-olds with saliva cortisol and fecal metabolites analysed (N=122) were selected from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study (www.finnbrain.fi). Cortisol responses to an acute stressor (venipuncture) were measured using five saliva samples (baseline and 0 …

Maternal prenatal distress (PD), frequently defined as in utero prenatal stress exposure (PSE) to the developing fetus, influences the developing brain and numerous associations between PSE and brain structure have been described both in neonates and in older children. Previous studies addressing PSE-linked alterations in neonates’ brain activity have focused on connectivity analyses from predefined seed regions, but the effects of PSE at the level of distributed functional networks remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of prenatal distress on the spatial and temporal properties of functional networks detected in functional MRI data from 20 naturally sleeping, term-born (age 25.85 ± 7.72 days, 11 males), healthy neonates. First, we performed group level independent component analysis (GICA) to evaluate an association between PD and the identified functional networks. Second, we …

BackgroundPreclinical studies suggest that maternal obesity/overnutrition during pregnancy elicits structural changes to the developing offspring hypothalamus (HTH) that are, in turn, of functional consequence to offspring obesity risk. Similar evidence in humans is lacking.MethodsIn a large international (California and Finland) sample (N=231) we tested the hypothesis that maternal pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with MRI-based measures of newborn offspring HTH microstructure (Mean Diffusivity [MD]). We furthermore tested in one of the contributing studies (N=94) the specific hypothesis that maternal saturated free fatty acid (sFFAs) concentration during pregnancy (quantified in early, mid and late pregnancy via LC-MS) is associated with newborn HTH-MD, and that this is in turn associated with early childhood body fat percentage (BF%, quantified using DXA).ResultsMaternal pre-pregnancy BMI was …

It is well-established that parental obesity is a strong risk factor for offspring obesity. Further, a converging body of evidence now suggests that maternal weight profiles may affect the developing offspring’s brain in a manner that confers future obesity risk. Here, we investigated how pre-pregnancy maternal weight status influences the reward-related striatal areas of the offspring’s brain during in utero development. We used diffusion tensor imaging to quantify the microstructure of the striatal brain regions of interest in neonates (N = 116 [66 males, 50 females], mean gestational weeks at birth [39.88], SD = 1.14; at scan [43.56], SD = 1.05). Linear regression was used to test the associations between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and infant striatal mean diffusivity. High maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with higher mean MD values in the infant’s left caudate nucleus. Results …