Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Biol Psychol. 2023 Sep;182:108652. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108652. Epub 2023 Jul 27.
A maternal history of major depressive disorder (MDD) is a well-known risk factor for depression in offspring. However, the mechanism through which familial risk is transmitted remains unclear. Cognitive control alterations are common in MDD, and thus, the current study investigated whether altered control capacity is transmitted intergenerationally, and whether it then contributes to the developmental pathways through which depression is passed from mothers to children. We recruited children (N = 65) ages 4-10-years-old, of which 47.7 % (n = 31) reported a maternal history of MDD, and their biological mother (N = 65). Children performed a child-friendly Go/NoGo task while electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded, and mothers performed a Flanker task. Children exhibited heightened sensitivity to error versus correct responses, which was characterized by an error-related negativity (ERN), error positivity (Pe) as well as prominent delta and frontal midline theta (FMT) oscillations. Interestingly, worse maternal performance on the Flanker task associated with an increased Go/NoGo error rate and a smaller ERN and Pe in children. However, there was no association between maternal or child control indices with child depression symptoms. Our results suggest a familial influence of cognitive control capacity in mother-child dyads, but it remains unclear whether this confers risk for depressive symptoms in children. Further research is necessary to determine whether alterations in cognitive control over time may influence symptom development in at-risk children.
母亲有重度抑郁障碍（MDD）病史是子女抑郁的一个众所周知的风险因素。然而，家族风险是如何传递的机制仍不清楚。认知控制改变在 MDD 中很常见，因此，目前的研究调查了控制能力的改变是否在代际间传递，以及它是否通过从母亲到孩子的发展途径导致抑郁。我们招募了 4-10 岁的儿童（N=65），其中 47.7%（n=31）报告了母亲有 MDD 病史，以及他们的亲生母亲（N=65）。儿童在进行儿童友好型 Go/NoGo 任务时记录脑电图（EEG）数据，而母亲则进行 Flanker 任务。儿童对错误与正确反应表现出更高的敏感性，其特征是错误相关负波（ERN）、错误正波（Pe）以及明显的 delta 和额中线 theta（FMT）振荡。有趣的是，母亲在 Flanker 任务上的表现越差，儿童的 Go/NoGo 错误率越高，ERN 和 Pe 越小。然而，母亲或儿童的控制指数与儿童的抑郁症状之间没有关联。我们的结果表明，在母子二人组中存在认知控制能力的家族影响，但尚不清楚这是否会给儿童带来抑郁风险。需要进一步的研究来确定认知控制的改变是否会随着时间的推移影响高危儿童的症状发展。
