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This article examines the role of the Great Depression in shaping the intergenerational mobility of some of the most upwardly mobile cohorts of the twentieth century. Using newly linked census and vital records from the Longitudinal, Intergenerational Family Electronic Micro-database, we examine the occupational and educational mobility of more than 265,000 sons and daughters born in Ohio and North Carolina. We find that the deepest and most protracted downturn in U.S. history had limited effects on sons' intergenerational mobility but reduced daughters' intergenerational mobility.

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Objective: To explore the impact of intergenerational connections on cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults (45-60 years and over 60 years, respectively) and analyze the urban-rural and sex differences in the effects of intergenerational connections on cognitive function. Method: Based on China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data (CHARLS), this study conducted ID matching for four waves of data from 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018. Cognitive function was measured via Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-modified (TICS-m), word recall, and imitation drawing. Using a combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal research, we constructed the cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) with a sample of 1,480 participants to explore the relationship between intergenerational connections and cognitive function. Results: This study examines the impact of intergenerational connections on cognitive function in middle-aged (45-60 years) and older adults (over 60 years) using data from the CHARLS. It identifies urban-rural and sex differences, with notable effects among rural female participants. The frequency of meeting with one child negatively predicts cognitive function (ß = -0.040, p = 0.041), and the frequency of communication with one child positively predicts cognitive function (ß = 0.102, 0.068, 0.041, p < 0.001, p = 0.001, 0.045). Meanwhile, intergenerational connections with multiple children positively predicts cognitive function (ß = 0.044, p = 0.031), (ß = 0.128, 0.084, and 0.056, p < 0.001, 0.001, p = 0.008). There are urban-rural and sex differences in the effects of intergenerational connections on cognitive function; additionally, the effects of intergenerational connections on cognitive function are significant in rural female middle-aged and older adults. Discussion: This study proposes the theory of skewed intergenerational support, which suggests that as middle-aged and older adults age, the responsibility for intergenerational support is skewed toward one child. This leads to conflicts between middle-aged and older parents and the child, which further affects cognitive function. In addition, this study put forward the boat-carrying theory of intergenerational relations and "to hold a bowl of water level" is the art of dealing with intergenerational relationships.

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In Aotearoa New Zealand, colonisation continues to impact Indigenous Maori lived realities. However, Maori have been steadily progressing towards reclamation of all that was suppressed during colonisation, including tupuna (ancestor) understandings of trauma and healing, of which wairua (referring to spirit) is at the centre. My research aimed to understand the role of wairua in the intergenerational transmission of trauma and healing through exploring my own lived experiences of trauma and healing. My methodology was developed based on tupuna knowledge, resulting in the implementation of a Rongo-a-Wairua Framework, a Whakapapa Methodological Approach, Whakapapa Wananga and Te Putake: An Origin Analysis. Through this application of tupuna knowledge and the centring of wairua within the research process, I uncovered the origins of the soul wounds I had inherited, enabling me to transform from Hinengaro, The Obscured Daughter into who I am now - Hineora, The Daughter of Healing.

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Aphis gossypii Glover is one of the most agriculturally important phloem-feeding economic pests, causing tremendous loss in crop yield annually. The hormesis is an important cause of A. gossypii resistance formation, population resurgence, and re-outbreak. However, whether the hormesises induced by different insecticides interact mutually remain largely unclear. In the study, four-generation A. gossypii experiment found that the 24-h sublethal-dose (LC20) sulfoxaflor treatment on G0 significantly increased the net reproductive rate (R0) and fecundity of G1 and G2 generation A. gossypii, but it did not significantly affect the fecundity of G3 and G4 individuals. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that the insecticide-induced significant up-regulation of pathways ribosome, energy metabolism, and the DNA replication and reparation might be responsible for the enhancement of fecundity in G1 and G2 A. gossypii. Notably, G0 exposure to LC20 sulfoxaflor followed by G1 exposure to LC30 deltamethrin resulted in a stronger reproductive stimulation than sulfoxaflor or deltamethrin exposure alone. Our findings provide valuable reference for optimizing sulfoxaflor application in integrated pest management strategies.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are increasingly being acknowledged as a major risk factor for instigating and sustaining cycles of trauma between mother and child. Recently, the concept of Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) has been introduced to ACEs research as a buffer against the transmission of ACEs between generations. Positive childhood experiences such as attachment to caregivers, positive peer relations and positive sense of self have been found to counteract the effects of adverse childhood experiences. The emergence of positive childhood experiences as an adaptive capacity against ACEs should be explored as a tool for psychological change, to help break the cycle of inherited trauma between generations. The present study aims to examine the lived experiences of mothers with a history of ACEs, if they consider their positive childhood experiences when parenting, and how they use these positive experiences to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Three women residing in a low-support service for parenting were recruited for this study. Participants were all low-income, first-time single mothers in their early thirties. A qualitative approach was designed for the study. ACEs and BCEs questionnaires were administered to participants and scores were taken into account to contextualise participant interviews. A semi-structured interview was designed in accordance with IPA guidelines. Questions were directed towards phenomenological material, focusing on participants' understanding of their experiences as mothers. Analysis of the interview data revealed three superordinate themes (replicating positive experiences, creating new positive experiences and protecting children from intergenerational trauma) related to participants' BCEs, their children's BCEs and their desire to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. The findings of this study, namely that participants intentionally tried to create positive experiences with their own children through drawing on their own positive experiences in childhood, supports the idea that BCEs are a legitimate source of adaptive capacity for mothers with ACEs. Parenting interventions for parents with ACEs should be developed taking into account ACE and BCE scores.

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BACKGROUND: Our goal in this report was to quantify the degree to which opioid prescription rates and socioeconomic correlates of income inequality predicted overdose deaths in the 1055 U.S. Midwest counties. The study follows up a state-level analysis which reported that opioid prescription rates, social capital and unemployment explained much of the variance in opioid overdose death rates (Heyman, McVicar, & Brownell, 2019). METHODS: We created a data set that included drug overdose death rates, opioid prescription rates, and correlates of income inequality. Given that the variables of interest varied at the state and county level, multilevel regression was our statistical approach. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2021, Midwest overdose drug deaths increased according to an exponential equation that closely approximated the equation that describes the increases in overdose deaths for the entire U.S. from 1978 to 2016 (e.g., Jalal et al., 2018). Retail opioid prescription sales increased from 2006 to 2012, but then declined so that by 2017 they were lower than in 2006. The regression analyses revealed that intergenerational income mobility was the strongest predictor of overdose deaths. The other consistently statistically significant predictors were opioid prescription rates, social capital, and unemployment rates. Together these predictors, plus pupil teacher ratios, single parent families, and attending college accounted for approximately 47 % of the variance in overdose death rates each year. In keeping with the decline in opioid prescription rates, the explanatory power of opioid prescription rates weakened over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Overdose deaths increased at a constant exponential rate for the years that it was possible to apply our regression model. This occurred even though access to legal opioids decreased. What remained invariant was the predictive strength of intergenerational income mobility; each year it was the predictor that explained the most variance in overdose deaths.

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Early nutritional and growth experiences can impact development, metabolic function, and reproductive outcomes in adulthood, influencing health trajectories in the next generation. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis regulates growth, metabolism, and energetic investment, but whether it plays a role in the pathway linking maternal experience with offspring prenatal development is unclear. To test this, we investigated patterns of maternal developmental weight gain (a proxy of early nutrition), young adult energy stores, age, and parity as predictors of biomarkers of the pregnancy IGF axis (n = 36) using data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey in Metro Cebu, Philippines. We analyzed maternal conditional weight measures at 2, 8, and 22 years of age and leptin at age 22 (a marker of body fat/energy stores) in relation to free IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in mid/late pregnancy (mean age = 27). Maternal IGF axis measures were also assessed as predictors of offspring fetal growth. Maternal age, parity, and age 22 leptin were associated with pregnancy free IGF-1, offspring birth weight, and offspring skinfold thickness. We find that free IGF-1 levels in pregnancy are more closely related to nutritional status in early adulthood than to preadult developmental nutrition and demonstrate significant effects of young adult leptin on offspring fetal fat mass deposition. We suggest that the previously documented finding that maternal developmental nutrition predicts offspring birth size likely operates through pathways other than the maternal IGF axis, which reflects more recent energy status.

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BACKGROUND: This study delves into the understudied yet potentially crucial role of paternal zinc deficiency in programming offspring metabolic outcomes. By examining paternal zinc deficiency, we aim to shed light on a previously unexplored avenue with the potential to significantly impact future generations. We investigated the intergenerational effects of paternal zinc deficiency on metabolic parameters in Drosophila melanogaster. METHODS: Dietary zinc deficiency was induced by supplementing the diet of Drosophila F0 male flies with TPEN (N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine) from egg stage. The F0 male flies after eclosion were mated with age-matched virgin female flies from the control group, resulting in the F1 offspring generation. The F1 generation were then cultured on a standard diet for subsequent metabolic analyses, including assessments of body weight, locomotion, and levels of glucose, trehalose, glycogen, and triglycerides as well as the expression of related genes. RESULTS: We observed an increase (p<0.05) in body weight in male parent flies and female offspring. Negative geotaxis performance was also impaired in the female offspring. Paternal zinc deficiency exerted distinct effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as evidenced by a significant (p<0.05) increase in trehalose and triglyceride levels in both parent and offspring. Additionally, zinc deficiency led to alterations in the expression of key metabolic genes, including significant (p<0.05) increase in DILP2 mRNA levels, highlighting potential links to insulin signaling. Also, there were reduced mRNA levels of SOD1 and CAT in both parental and offspring generations. Parental zinc deficiency also increased the expression of Eiger and UPD2 mRNA in the offspring, suggesting potential perturbations in the immune response system. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the link between zinc status and various physiological and molecular processes, revealing both immediate and intergenerational impacts on metabolic, antioxidant, and inflammatory pathways and providing valuable insights on the implications of paternal zinc deficiency in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Advances in bryophyte genomics and the phylogenetic recovery of hornworts, mosses, and liverworts as a clade have spurred considerable recent interest in character evolution among early embryophytes. Discussion of stomatal evolution, however, has been incomplete; the result of the neglect of certain potential stomate homologues, namely the two-celled epidermal gametophytic pores of hornworts (typically referred to as 'mucilage clefts'). Confusion over the potential homology of these structures is the consequence of a relatively recent consensus that hornwort gametophytic pores ('HGPs' - our term) are not homologous to stomates. We explore the occurrence and diverse functions of stomates throughout the evolutionary history and diversity of extinct and extant embryophytes. We then address arguments for and against homology between known sporophyte- and gametophyte-borne stomates and HGPs and conclude that there is little to no evidence that contradicts the hypothesis of homology. We propose that 'intergenerational heterotopy' might well account for the novel expression of stomates in gametophytes of hornworts, if stomates first evolved in the sporophyte generation of embryophytes. We then explore phylogenetically based hypotheses for the evolution of stomates in both the gametophyte and sporophyte generations of early lineages of embryophytes.

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Although it is well documented that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of several adverse health outcomes, less is known about its relationship with economic opportunity. Previous studies have relied on regression modeling, which implied strict assumptions regarding confounding adjustments and did not explore geographical heterogeneity. We obtained data for 63,165 US census tracts (86% of all census tracts in the United States) on absolute upward mobility (AUM) defined as the mean income rank in adulthood of children born to families in the 25th percentile of the national income distribution. We applied and compared several state-of-the-art confounding adjustment methods to estimate the overall and county-specific associations of childhood exposure to PM2.5 and AUM controlling for many census tract-level confounders. We estimate that census tracts with a 1 µg/m3 higher PM2.5 concentrations in 1982 are associated with a statistically significant 1.146% (95% CI: 0.834, 1.458) lower AUM in 2015, on average. We also showed evidence that this relationship varies spatially between counties, exhibiting a more pronounced negative relationship in the Midwest and the South.

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For youth care professionals who work with families with complex needs, we implemented an interagency, family-focused approach involving child and adult mental health care services and child protection services. The primary objective of the collaboration was to minimize fragmentation in service delivery and to improve practitioners' self-efficacy in supporting families. A total of 50 families were enrolled between 2020 and 2023. Quantitative descriptive analysis was conducted to map the sample characteristics and the correlations between the practitioners' consultation requests and the recommendations they received. We evaluated the applicability of the model using semi-structured interviews. Results revealed the frequent socioeconomic and psychosocial challenges and co-current mental health issues faced by the families. As expected, practitioners who work with families experiencing complex and multiple problems encountered a range of difficulties in their service delivery. These related to barriers such as poor role demarcation between organizations, practitioners' unrealistic expectations of other services, the impact of multiple problems on family well-being, and complicated family dynamics. The interprofessional collaboration improved the practitioners' self-efficacy in supporting families. They also perceived improvements in child safety. The study emphasizes the need for clear pathways for youth care practitioners to obtain assistance from adult mental health services and to liaise with community support and services. It proposes including adults and young people with lived experiences in the interprofessional collaboration. The study data provides initial evidence that the interagency model has added value for youth care professionals who struggle with issues in family-focused care.

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Objective: This brief report examines differences in step- versus biological family support between White, Black, and Hispanic families in the United States. Background: The increasing share of stepfamilies reflects a potential shift in family relationships. Although research finds that stepfamilies are generally less likely to engage in instrumental support than biological families, recent work suggests that the relationship between family structure and family behaviors may vary across racial/ethnic groups. Method: Using data from the 2015-2017 Add Health Parent Study, this report examines racial/ethnic differences in step- versus biological family support between parents and adult children. Specifically, parents' likelihood of and hours of providing instrumental support to adult children are assessed. Results: Findings from this report indicate for Black and White families, stepfamilies are less likely to provide instrumental support to their adult children than biological families. Among Hispanic families, however, stepfamilies are not more or less likely to provide support than biological families. When hours of instrumental support are examined, White stepfamilies provide fewer hours of support than biological families, whereas no difference is found for Black or Hispanic families. Conclusion: Findings from this study contribute to broader work that calls for more nuanced understanding of the differential effects of family structure across social groups. Future research should consider applying within-race/ethnicity analyses when examining the association between family structure and intergenerational support.

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The prevalence of interpersonal violence has been reported at higher levels among Indigenous than non-Indigenous populations worldwide, but has not been thoroughly investigated among the Sámi population in Sweden. The aims of this study were to investigate: (1) the prevalence of emotional, physical, and sexual violence and violence by intimate partners, family members, acquaintances, and strangers among participants identifying as Sámi or Swedish, (2) whether reporting experiences of historical losses and discrimination mediated the anticipated association between identifying as Sámi and reporting experiences of violence, and (3) whether background characteristics were associated with reporting experiences of violence. Cross-sectional questionnaire data collected in 2021 for the "Health and Living conditions in Sápmi" study were used. All adults in an arctic region in Sweden were invited to participate (response rate: 41%). Respondents self-identifying as Sámi (n = 375; 24.7%) or Swedish (n = 1,144; 75.3%) were included in this study. Sámi respondents of both sexes more often reported violence by an acquaintance or stranger. Likewise, more Sámi than Swedish women reported family violence (16.4% vs. 9.2%), but there was no difference concerning intimate partner violence (13.3% vs. 15.4%). Mediation analyses revealed strong positive indirect effects of historical losses and discrimination on the different types of violence. Being female was the strongest predictor of reporting intimate partner violence, and younger age was associated with violence by all perpetrators except family members. In conclusion, interpersonal violence was more often reported by Sámi respondents, but the association was explained in full by experiences of historical losses and discrimination. The results underline the importance of a life-course and even intergenerational and historical perspectives when investigating interpersonal violence.

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BACKGROUND: Parental psychological distress is a well-known risk factor for developmental psychopathology, with longer term parental distress associated with worse youth mental health. Neurotoxicant exposure during pregnancy is a risk factor for both poor maternal and youth mental health. The impact of one class of pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), on long-term trajectories of maternal distress and youth self-reported mental health symptoms in adolescence has been understudied. METHODS: PAH exposure was measured by DNA adducts in maternal blood sampled during the third trimester of pregnancy. Maternal distress, operationalized as maternal demoralization, was measured at 11 timepoints (prenatal to child age 16). Adolescent mental health symptoms were measured at age 13-15. Follow up analyses examined a subset of measures available at age 15-20 years. Structural equation modeling examined associations between PAH exposure during pregnancy and latent growth metrics of maternal distress, and between maternal distress (intercept and slope) and youth mental health symptoms in a prospective longitudinal birth cohort (N = 564 dyads). RESULTS: Higher prenatal PAH exposure was associated with higher concurrent maternal distress. Prenatal maternal distress was associated with adolescent's self-reported anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems. On average, maternal distress declined over time; a slower decline in mother's distress across the course of the child's life was associated with greater self-reported anxiety and externalizing problems in youth. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with an intergenerational framework of environmental effects on mental health: PAH exposure during pregnancy affects maternal mental health, which in turn influences mental health outcomes for youth well into adolescence. Future research is necessary to elucidate the possible social and biological mechanisms (e.g., parenting, epigenetics) underlying the intergenerational transmission of the negative effects of pollution on mental health in caregiver-child dyads.

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INTRODUCTION: Maternal stress and trauma during pregnancy have been shown to influence cortisol levels and epigenetic patterns, including DNA methylation, in the offspring. This study aimed to determine whether a tailor-made family intervention could help reduce cortisol levels in children born to traumatized mothers, and to determine whether it effected offspring DNA methylation. The secondary aim was to determine whether the family intervention influenced DNA methylation aging, a marker of biological aging. METHODS: A needs-based family intervention was designed to help address relational difficulties and family functioning, and included a focus on family strengths and problem-solving patterns. Women survivors of sexual violence during the Kosovar war in 1998-1999, and their families (children with or without partners) were randomly assigned to 10 sessions of a family therapy over a 3-5-month period, or to a waitlist control group. Both mothers and children completed assessments prior to and after the intervention phase. Children's blood samples collected at these two time points were used to measure cortisol and epigenome-wide DNA methylation patterns (Illumina EPIC array). Cortisol levels, and genome-wide DNA methylation changes pre-/postintervention were compared between children in the intervention and the waitlist groups. DNA methylation age and accelerated biological aging were calculated. RESULTS: Sixty-two women-child dyads completed the study, 30 were assigned first to the intervention group, and 32 to the waitlist control group. In adjusted linear regression, the family intervention was associated with a significant decline in cortisol levels compared to the waitlist control (ß = -124.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -197.4 to -52.1, p = .001). Children in the intervention group, compared to the waitlist control group, showed >1% differential methylation degree at 5819 CpG (5'-C-phosphate-G-3') sites across the genome (p < .01), with the largest methylation difference being 21%. However, none of these differences reached genome-wide significant levels. There was no significant difference in DNA methylation aging between the two groups. CONCLUSION: We find evidence that a tailored family-based intervention reduced stress levels in the children (based on cortisol levels), and modified DNA methylation levels at a number of sites across the genome. This study provides some preliminary evidence to suggest the potential for tailored interventions to help break the intergenerational transmission of trauma, however, large studies powered to detect associations at genome-wide significant levels are needed.

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Many studies demonstrate an intergenerational transmission of divorce with a focus primarily on more recent decades; however, the extent to which this relationship is deeply rooted or has changed over time remains unclear. Explanations, including sociodemographic and interpersonal factors, have been offered as links between parental divorce and the stability of offspring's marriage. We use individual-level longitudinal data from the Scanian Economic-Demographic Database to estimate the intergenerational transmission of divorce among first marriages in Sweden over the period 1920-2015. Our investigation focuses on the correlation between parental divorce and offspring's divorce during the transition from a low- to a high-divorce regime. Findings reveal surprising stability in the transmission despite fundamental societal change over the years. Notably, the risk of divorce is highest when either the wife or both spouses have experienced parental divorce. Moreover, the transmission of divorce across time appears to be stronger and more stable for women than for men. These results suggest the intergenerational transmission of divorce is part of the divorce transition and highlight the role of women's independence in this intricate but not yet fully understood process.

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OBJECTIVES: The intergenerational stake hypothesis and theories of the life course posit that older generations are invested in the well-being of younger generations. Consistent with this, previous research has shown that adult children's problems are associated with worse parental well-being. Because multigenerational ties have become increasingly important in the 21st century, we propose that adult grandchildren's problems may also impact grandparents' well-being. In this paper, we test this hypothesis and investigate the moderating effects of grandparents' race and maternal/paternal status. METHODS: The analytic sample includes 206 grandparents aged 65-95 who participated in the second wave of the Family Exchanges Study. Adult grandchildren's problems were operationalized as the proportions of adult grandchildren who experienced (1) physical-emotional problems and (2) lifestyle-behavioral problems. RESULTS: Main effects multilevel analyses suggested that adult grandchildren's problems did not predict grandparents' well-being. However, moderation analyses revealed that the association between grandparents' depressive symptoms and adult grandchildren's physical-emotional problems was larger among Black than White grandparents, and maternal than paternal grandparents. Adult grandchildren's lifestyle-behavioral problems did not predict grandparents' depression, and these effects were not conditioned by race or maternal/paternal status. DISCUSSION: These findings expand research on the importance of grandparent-adult grandchild relationships and contribute to research on multigenerational relationships and health by considering how problems experienced by members of younger generations impact the psychological well-being of older adults.

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Environmental chemicals and pollutants are increasingly recognized for their potential transgenerational effects. Acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), a widely used plasticizer substituting di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), was identified as an inducer of lipogenesis in male mice by our previous research. This study aimed to investigate the impact of ATBC exposure on the metabolic homeostasis of female mice and simultaneously evaluate its intergenerational effects. Female C57BL/6J mice were orally exposed to ATBC (0.01 or 1 µg/kg/day) for 10 weeks before mating with unexposed male mice. The resulting F1 female mice were bred with unexposed males to generate F2 offspring. Our results indicated that 10-week ATBC exposure disrupted glucose metabolism homeostasis and the reproductive system in F0 female mice. In F1 female mice, elevated liver lipid levels and mild insulin resistance were observed. In the F2 generation, maternal ATBC exposure resulted in increased weight gain, elevated liver triglycerides, and higher fasting blood glucose levels, primarily in F2 male mice. These findings suggest that maternal ATBC exposure may exert intergenerational disturbing effects on glucose metabolism across generations of mice. Further investigation is needed to evaluate the health risks associated with ATBC exposure.

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OBJECTIVE: To compare reproductive history and postmenopausal health by birth status (preterm vs. full term) in a U.S. longitudinal study of postmenopausal women. Birth status was examined according to region of residence, household, and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). METHODS: In the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, 2271 women were born prematurely (< 37 weeks). ANOVA and Chi-square determined birth status differences of reproductive history, pregnancy, and postmenopausal health. Odds ratios were calculated using either binary logistic or multinomial logistic regression. SES and U.S. region of residence were examined as potential effect modifiers. RESULTS: Preterm-born women compared to term-born women had higher risk of delivering a premature infant (aOR 1.68, 95% CI [1.46, 1.93]), higher odds of later-age first pregnancy (aOR 1.27 95% CI [1.02, 1.58]), longer duration to become pregnant (> 1 year to pregnancy) (aOR 1.10 95% CI [1.01, 1.21]), more miscarriages (aOR 1.23 95% CI [1.11, 1.37]), and more pregnancy complications including hypertension (aOR 1.58 95% CI (1.13, 2.21)], preeclampsia (aOR 1.64 95% CI [1.24, 2.16]), and gestational diabetes (aOR 1.68 95% CI [1.11, 2.53]). Preterm-born women had higher odds of menopause before age 50 (aOR 1.09 95% CI [1.05, 1.14]). Post-menopause, they had higher rates of diabetes (p = .01), hypertension (p = .01), hysterectomy (p = .045), and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Preterm-born women had higher reproductive and pregnancy risks which when coupled with early menopause, may indicate a shorter childbearing period than term-born women. Guidelines for integration of preterm history in women's health care across the life course are needed to identify and manage their higher risk.

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BACKGROUND: Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are robust predictors of mental health for both the exposed individual and the next generation; however, the pathway through which such intergenerational risk is conferred remains unknown. The current study evaluated the association between maternal ACEs and infant brain development, including an a priori focus on circuits implicated in emotional and sensory processing. METHODS: The sample included 101 mother-infant dyads from a longitudinal study. Maternal ACEs were assessed with the Adverse Childhood Questionnaire dichotomized into low (0 or 1) and high (≥2) groups. White matter microstructure, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA), was assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging in infants (41.6-46.0 weeks' postconceptional age) within a priori tracts (the cingulum, fornix, uncinate, inferior frontal occipital fasciculus, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus). Exploratory analyses were also conducted across the whole brain. RESULTS: High maternal ACEs (≥2) were associated with decreased infant left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) FA (F(1,94) = 7.78, p < .006) relative to infants of low ACE mothers. No group difference was observed within the right ILF following correction for multiple comparisons (F(1,95) = 4.29, p < .041). Follow-up analyses within the left ILF demonstrated associations between high maternal ACEs and increased left radial diffusivity (F(1,95) = 5.10, p < .006). Exploratory analyses demonstrated preliminary support for differences in visual processing networks (e.g., optic tract) as well as additional circuits less frequently examined in the context of early life adversity exposure (e.g., corticothalamic tract). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal ACEs predict neural circuit development of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Findings suggest that early developing sensory circuits within the infant brain are susceptible to maternal adverse childhood experiences and may have implications for the maturation of higher-order emotional and cognitive circuits.