Examining the Relationship Between Early Life SES and Adult Cognition: The Importance of Maternal Warmth and Inflammation
Open Access
Author:
Dialectos, Jocelyn Mary
Area of Honors:
Biobehavioral Health
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Kyle Wayne Murdock, Thesis Supervisor Helen Marie Kamens, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
socioeconomic status SES inflammation maternal warmth cognition executive function cytokine
Abstract:
Adult health can be shaped by the environment people experience as children. One example of this relationship is the association between early life socioeconomic status (SES) and adult cognition, with low childhood SES relating to worsened adult cognitive function. As low childhood SES also has been associated with high adult inflammatory levels, inflammation may mediate the relationship between early life SES and adult cognition. However, not all people of low childhood SES develop elevated inflammatory levels, and maternal warmth may act as a buffer against high inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between childhood SES and adult cognition through inflammation, as well as to examine if there is a protective effect of maternal care. Data was collected through self-report questionnaires, a blood draw, and neuropsychological exams, which measured parental SES during childhood, perceived maternal warmth, inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, interleukin-1ß, and interferon gamma), and executive functioning (inhibition, updating/monitoring, and cognitive flexibility). Males demonstrated significantly higher inflammation than females (p = 0.049), but there were no other significant relationships found in this study. Future research needs to include a larger, more diverse sample, examine a wider range of cytokines and cognitive measures, and use more objective measurements of early life SES and maternal care in order to better understand these relationships and improve health outcomes.
