UC Irvine Studies Reveal Environmental Instability's Impact on Infant Brain Development and Emotional Regulation
Three new studies led by Denise Werchan, UC Irvine assistant professor of psychology, detail how environmental instability shapes infant attention, information processing, and emotional regulation. The research distinguishes between different types of adversity, such as chronically unpredictable households versus those with consistent routines, even if resources are similar. One study, published in *Infant Behavior and Development*, found that infants from households with unpredictable access to food, utilities, and housing shifted their gaze more frequently during visual attention tasks. Another study in *Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience* observed that babies with less predictable caregiver interactions showed reduced frontal brain activity and lower heart rate variability. A third study in *Developmental Psychobiology* identified that allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid in breast milk, might buffer the negative effects of maternal psychological distress on infant emotional regulation. 
