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López-Morales H, Canet-Juric L, Del-Valle MV, Sosa JM, López MC, Urquijo S. Prenatal anxiety during the pandemic context is related to neurodevelopment of 6-month-old babies. Eur J Pediatr 2023; 182:4213-4226. [PMID: 37452845 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-023-05112-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal anxiety and depression in pandemic context could introduce changes in the fetal developmental trajectories that, ultimately, could alter the adaptive behaviors of the offspring, potentially affecting, for example, general neurodevelopment. The sample consisted of 105 mother-child dyads, recruited between March and May 2020. The dyads were evaluated longitudinally, prenatally and postnatally (6 months). The Pandemic Impact Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck-II Depression Inventory were used to assess indicators of maternal anxiety and depression, respectively. Regarding the babies, their mothers responded to Age and Stages: 3, which assesses different dimensions of early neurodevelopment, in addition to a closed questionnaire to identify sociodemographic and maternal and child health variables. A series of mediation models were tested to examine the association between prenatal psychopathology/negative experiences of the pandemic and neurodevelopment. The results indicated that the negative experiences of the pandemic were indirectly associated with the socio-individual and fine motor neurodevelopment of the offspring, through maternal anxiety symptoms, during the third trimester, which functioned as a mediator. Conclusions: This study provides evidence on the mediating effects of maternal anxiety on infant neurodevelopment in contexts of early adversity. It is important to point out the need to implement public health policies that allow a timely evaluation of neurodevelopmental variables during early childhood, which can implement early interventions to reduce the risks associated with these deficits. What is Known: • Effects of maternal mental health have been reported, effects on child neurodevelopment, in motor, cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional dimensions. • Contexts of early adversity have been associated with maternal mental health and offspring development. What is New: • The context of pandemic adversity caused by COVID-19 is associated with motor and socio-individual neurodevelopment, mediated by maternal prenatal anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hernán López-Morales
- Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT), Mar del Plata, Argentina.
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina.
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Escuela Superior de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Lorena Canet-Juric
- Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Macarena Verónica Del-Valle
- Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julieta Mariel Sosa
- Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Marcela Carolina López
- Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Urquijo
- Instituto de Psicología Básica Aplicada y Tecnología (IPSIBAT), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Simcock G, Kildea S, Elgbeili G, Laplante DP, Stapleton H, Cobham V, King S. Age-related changes in the effects of stress in pregnancy on infant motor development by maternal report: The Queensland Flood Study. Dev Psychobiol 2016; 58:640-59. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Simcock
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland; Brisbane; Queensland Australia
- School of Psychology; The University of Queensland; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Sue Kildea
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland; Brisbane; Queensland Australia
- School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Social Work; The University of Queensland; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Guillaume Elgbeili
- Schizophrenia and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research; Douglas Mental Health Institute; Verdun Quebec Canada
| | - David P. Laplante
- Schizophrenia and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research; Douglas Mental Health Institute; Verdun Quebec Canada
| | - Helen Stapleton
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland; Brisbane; Queensland Australia
- School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Social Work; The University of Queensland; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Vanessa Cobham
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland; Brisbane; Queensland Australia
- School of Psychology; The University of Queensland; Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Suzanne King
- Schizophrenia and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research; Douglas Mental Health Institute; Verdun Quebec Canada
- Department of Psychiatry; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
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Robinson SR. Spinal mediation of motor learning and memory in the rat fetus. Dev Psychobiol 2015; 57:421-34. [PMID: 25735558 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Fetal rats can alter patterns of interlimb coordination after experience with a yoke that links two legs together. Yoke training results in a pronounced increase in conjugate limb movements (CLM). To determine whether yoke motor learning is mediated by spinal cord circuitry, fetal subjects at embryonic Day 20 (E20) received yoke training after mid-thoracic spinal cord transection or sham surgery. Both spinal and sham-treated fetuses exhibited an increase in CLM during training. In a second experiment, fetuses received initial yoke training, then were transected or sham treated before a 2nd training. Spinal and sham fetuses that were yoked during both training sessions exhibited a more rapid rise in CLM than those yoked only in the later session. These findings indicate that motor learning in fetal rats can be supported by spinal cord circuitry alone, and that savings implies a form of motor memory localized in the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R Robinson
- Pacific Ethological Laboratories, Olympia, WA, 98501; Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
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Bellinger SA, Lucas D, Kleven GA. An ecologically relevant guinea pig model of fetal behavior. Behav Brain Res 2015; 283:175-83. [PMID: 25655512 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.01.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2014] [Revised: 01/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The laboratory guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, shares with humans many similarities during pregnancy and prenatal development, including precocial offspring and social dependence. These similarities suggest the guinea pig as a promising model of fetal behavioral development as well. Using innovative methods of behavioral acclimation, fetal offspring of female IAF hairless guinea pigs time mated to NIH multicolored Hartley males were observed longitudinally without restraint using noninvasive ultrasound at weekly intervals across the 10 week gestation. To ensure that the ultrasound procedure did not cause significant stress, salivary cortisol was collected both before and after each observation. Measures of fetal spontaneous movement and behavioral state were quantified from video recordings from week 3 through the last week before birth. Results from prenatal quantification of Interlimb Movement Synchrony and state organization reveal guinea pig fetal development to be strikingly similar to that previously reported for other rodents and preterm human infants. Salivary cortisol readings taken before and after sonography did not differ at any observation time point. These results suggest this model holds translational promise for studying the prenatal mechanisms of neurobehavioral development, including those that may result from adverse events. Because the guinea pig is a highly social mammal with a wide range of socially oriented vocalizations, this model may also have utility for studying the prenatal origins and trajectories of developmental disabilities with social-emotional components, such as autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Bellinger
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, United States; Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, United States
| | - D Lucas
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, United States; Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, United States
| | - G A Kleven
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, United States.
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