Infant regulatory problems linked to poorer peer relationships and altered brain connectivity in adulthood

A recent neuroimaging study found that regulatory problems in infancy (i.e., difficulties with sleeping, crying, and/or feeding) were associated with poorer quality relationships with peers in adulthood and enhanced functional connectivity in the allostatic-interoceptive nodes of the brain. The paper was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Early regulatory problems refer to difficulties in self-regulation during infancy and early childhood. These issues can manifest as excessive crying, trouble settling, poor sleep patterns, or feeding difficulties. They are relatively common, affecting approximately 20% of infants. Such problems may stem from a child’s temperament, environmental stressors, or an immature nervous system.

The brain’s ability to anticipate and correct physiological imbalances before they occur is known as allostatic regulation. Early regulatory problems can be viewed as disruptions in this regulatory process. This function is supported by the allostatic-interoceptive system, a complex network that continuously receives sensory input from the body and responds accordingly to maintain balance.

Anatomically, this system comprises two well-known neural networks: the default mode network, which is active when a person is at rest, and the salience network, a large-scale brain system primarily involving the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex. The salience network detects and filters relevant stimuli, switching between the default mode and executive control networks to guide attention and behavior.

Some studies have suggested that early regulatory problems may be linked to the quality of peer relationships in adulthood. With this in mind, study author Saša Zorjan and colleagues conducted a study examining the relationships between early regulatory problems, allostatic regulation, the allostatic-interoceptive system, and social functioning. They hypothesized that multiple and persistent regulatory problems in infancy would be associated with altered connectivity in the allostatic-interoceptive system and poorer peer relationships in adulthood.

The study involved 42 individuals who had experienced multiple or persistent regulatory problems as infants and 70 individuals who had never exhibited such problems. Participants were selected from the Bavarian Longitudinal Study, a geographically defined birth cohort study of neonatal at-risk children born in Southern Bavaria, Germany, between January 1985 and March 1986. This study included 7,505 newborns who required hospital admission within 10 days of birth and 916 healthy infants born at term in the same obstetric hospitals.

At five months of age, pediatricians conducted standardized interviews with parents about their infants’ crying, feeding, and sleeping behaviors. At 20 and 56 months, sleeping and eating behaviors were reassessed through standardized parental interviews, while eating problems were additionally evaluated through neurological examinations of oral motor function.

The researchers used these data, combined with neurological examinations, to determine the regulatory problems experienced by the children. Information on participants’ peer relationship quality in adulthood was obtained through a semi-structured interview (the Life Course Interview) and an assessment (the YASR scale, which includes items such as “I have problems with making or maintaining friendships”). Participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains.

The results indicated that individuals who had regulatory problems as infants reported poorer peer relationship quality in adulthood compared to those who had not experienced such issues. Additionally, those with early regulatory problems exhibited enhanced functional connectivity in the allostatic-interoceptive system nodes of the brain.

The researchers tested a statistical model proposing that changes in intrinsic functional connectivity between the dorsal mid-insula region and the frontal and temporal cortex mediate the relationship between early regulatory problems and peer relationship quality. The results supported this hypothesis. Intrinsic functional connectivity refers to synchronized activity between brain regions at rest, reflecting stable communication patterns that underlie cognitive and emotional functions. In other words, the findings suggest that early difficulties in self-regulation—such as sleep, feeding, or emotional control issues—may lead to long-term changes in brain connectivity, which, in turn, could affect a person’s ability to interact with and maintain relationships in adulthood.

“This study indicates that early RPs [regulatory problems] are associated with changes in AIS [allostatic-interoceptive system] connectivity and peer relationship problems some 25 years later. Multiple and persistent RPs have long term adverse effects on the brain and social relationships and should be considered as targets of early treatment,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the links between early regulatory problems and peer relationships in adulthood. However, it is important to note that MRI data were collected only in adulthood. It remains unclear whether the observed alterations in functional connectivity were already present in childhood. Additionally, the study’s design does not allow for definitive causal inferences to be drawn from the results.

The paper, “The association between early regulatory problems and adult peer relationship quality is mediated by the brain’s allostatic-interoceptive system,” was authored by Sasa Zorjan, Dieter Wolke, Nicole Baumann, Christian Sorg, and Satja Mulej Bratec.