The infant temperament behavioral inhibition is a potent risk factor for development of an anxiety disorder. It is difficult to predict risk for behavioral inhibition at birth, however, and the neural underpinnings are poorly understood. The authors hypothesized that neonatal functional connectivity of the ventral attention network is related to behavioral inhibition at age 2 years beyond sociodemographic and familial factors. This hypothesis is supported by the ventral attention network’s role in attention to novelty, a key feature of behavioral inhibition.

Using a longitudinal design (N=45), the authors measured functional connectivity using MRI in neonates and behavioral inhibition at age 2 using the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. Whole-brain connectivity maps were computed for regions from the ventral attention, default mode, and salience networks. Regression analyses related these maps to behavioral inhibition at age 2, covarying for sex, social risk, and motion during scanning.

Decreased neonatal functional connectivity of three connections was associated with increased behavioral inhibition at age 2. One connection (between the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the right temporal-parietal junction) included the ventral attention network seed, and two connections (between the medial prefrontal cortex and both the right superior parietal lobule and the left lateral occipital cortex) included the default mode network seed.

Neonatal functional connectivity of the ventral attention and default mode networks is associated with behavioral inhibition at age 2. These results inform the developmental neurobiology of behavioral inhibition and anxiety disorders and may aid in early risk assessment and intervention.

婴儿气质行为抑制是发生焦虑症的一个潜在危险因素。然而，很难预测出生时行为抑制的风险，而且人们对其神经基础知之甚少。作者假设，除了社会人口统计和家庭因素外，新生儿腹侧注意力网络的功能连接与 2 岁时的行为抑制有关。这一假设得到了腹侧注意力网络在关注新奇事物中的作用的支持，这是行为抑制的一个关键特征。

作者采用纵向设计 (N=45)，使用 MRI 测量了新生儿的功能连接性，并使用婴幼儿社交和情绪评估测量了 2 岁时的行为抑制。计算腹侧注意力、默认模式和显着网络区域的全脑连接图。回归分析将这些图谱与 2 岁时的行为抑制、性别、社会风险和扫描过程中的运动的共变联系起来。

三个连接的新生儿功能连接减少与 2 岁时行为抑制增加相关。一个连接（右侧腹外侧前额叶皮层和右侧颞顶叶交界处之间）包括腹侧注意网络种子，两个连接（内侧前额叶皮层之间）右侧顶叶上小叶和左侧枕叶皮层）都包含默认模式网络种子。

新生儿腹侧注意力和默认模式网络的功能连接与 2 岁时的行为抑制相关。这些结果为行为抑制和焦虑症的发育神经生物学提供了信息，并可能有助于早期风险评估和干预。