# Caregiver Context and the Infant's Neural Response to Threat

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2021 · $2,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
Early caregiver availability fosters the development of self-regulation capabilities that protect against numerous
risks, including poor health behaviors, impulsivity, and mental illness. However, the brain processes and
caregiver behaviors that account for this are unknown. In adults, self-regulation is largely mediated through the
prefrontal cortex (PFC), which inhibits threat-sensitive subcortical systems such as the amygdala. Work with
adults and rodents suggests that during childhood, caregivers scaffold the growth of these neural systems by
reducing amygdala activity while increasing PFC activity, but this has not yet been tested in human infancy.
Further, caregiver availability alone may not be sufficient for effective scaffolding—caregiver behaviors during
availability likely play a crucial role.
This proposal tests the hypotheses that (1) during threat, caregiver availability increases infant PFC response
while decreasing amygdala responses, (2) these effects are moderated by caregiver sensitivity and
predictability, and (3) the effects of caregiver availability and behavior differ depending on the sensitive period
in which they occur. Infant-caregiver dyads will visit the lab at 4 and 8 months. At each visit, infant PFC and
amygdala will be measured using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and a novel proxy measure of
amygdala activity, the eyeblink startle reflex. During measurement, infants will view threatening and non-
threatening stimuli in each of two contexts: sitting on their caregiver’s lap and sitting in a high chair, away from
their caregiver. They will then complete a free-play session from which caregiver behavior will be coded.
Results of this study may reveal the effects of caregivers on the development of self-regulatory brain function
and associated sensitive periods.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10455809
- **Project number:** 3F31HD103338-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Cat Thrasher
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $2,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-08-16 → 2023-08-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10455809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10455809, Caregiver Context and the Infant's Neural Response to Threat (3F31HD103338-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10455809. Licensed CC0.

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