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Meredith Weiss S, Aydin E, Lloyd-Fox S, Johnson MH. Trajectories of brain and behaviour development in the womb, at birth and through infancy. Nat Hum Behav 2024:10.1038/s41562-024-01896-7. [PMID: 38886534 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01896-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Birth is often seen as the starting point for studying effects of the environment on human development, with much research focused on the capacities of young infants. However, recent imaging advances have revealed that the complex behaviours of the fetus and the uterine environment exert influence. Birth is now viewed as a punctuate event along a developmental pathway of increasing autonomy of the child from their mother. Here we highlight (1) increasing physiological autonomy and perceptual sensitivity in the fetus, (2) physiological and neurochemical processes associated with birth that influence future behaviour, (3) the recalibration of motor and sensory systems in the newborn to adapt to the world outside the womb and (4) the effect of the prenatal environment on later infant behaviours and brain function. Taken together, these lines of evidence move us beyond nature-nurture issues to a developmental human lifespan view beginning within the womb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staci Meredith Weiss
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK.
- University of Roehampton, School of Psychology, London, UK.
| | - Ezra Aydin
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah Lloyd-Fox
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark H Johnson
- University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
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2
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Bottemanne H, Joly L. [Mother brain: Bayesian theory of maternal interoception during pregnancy and postpartum]. L'ENCEPHALE 2023; 49:185-195. [PMID: 36243551 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2022.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The perinatal period, including pregnancy and postpartum, causes major morphological, endocrinal, and thermal transitions in women. As the fetus grows, abdominal muscle fibers stretch, internal organs such as the bladder or colon move, and the uterine anatomy changes. Many of these changes involve interoception, the perception of internal body signals such as muscle and visceral sensations. Despite the importance of these interoceptive signals, few studies have explored perinatal interoception. We propose an innovative theory of maternal interoception based on recent findings in neuroscience. We show that interoceptive signals processing during pregnancy is crucial for understanding perinatal phenomenology and psychopathology, such as maternal perception of fetal movements, maternal-infant bonding, denial of pregnancy, phantom fetal movements after childbirth, pseudocyesis or even puerperal delusion. Knowing the importance of these interoceptive mechanisms, clinicians in obstetrics, gynecology and mental health should be particularly vigilant to maternal interoception during the perinatal period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Bottemanne
- Department of Psychiatry, Sorbonne University, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France; Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Department of Neuroscience, UMR 7225/UMRS 1127, Sorbonne University/CNRS/INSERM, Paris, France; Sorbonne University, Department of Philosophy, SND Research Unit, UMR 8011, CNRS, Paris, France.
| | - Lucie Joly
- Department of Psychiatry, Sorbonne University, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France; Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Department of Neuroscience, UMR 7225/UMRS 1127, Sorbonne University/CNRS/INSERM, Paris, France
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Ustun B, Reissland N, Covey J, Schaal B, Blissett J. Flavor Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviors in the Human Fetus. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1651-1663. [PMID: 36130610 DOI: 10.1177/09567976221105460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The diet of pregnant women exposes fetuses to a variety of flavors consisting of compound sensations involving smell, taste, and chemesthesis. The effects of such prenatal flavor exposure on chemosensory development have so far been measured only postnatally in human infants. Here, we report the first direct evidence of human fetal responsiveness to flavors transferred via maternal consumption of a single-dose capsule by measuring frame-by-frame fetal facial movements. Pregnant women and their fetuses based in the northeast of England were involved in this study from 32 to 36 weeks' gestation. Fetuses exposed to carrot flavor (n = 35) showed "lip-corner puller" and "laughter-face gestalt" more frequently, whereas fetuses exposed to kale flavor (n = 34) showed more "upper-lip raiser," "lower-lip depressor," "lip stretch," "lip presser," and "cry-face gestalt" in comparison with the carrot group and a control group not exposed to any flavors (n = 30). The complexity of facial gestalts increased from 32 to 36 weeks in the kale condition, but not in the carrot condition. Findings of this study have important implications for understanding the earliest evidence for fetal abilities to sense and discriminate different flavors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Benoist Schaal
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Laboratory, Centre for Taste, Smell and Feeding Behaviour Science, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR 6265, Université de Bourgogne
| | - Jacqueline Blissett
- School of Psychology, Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University
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Waters-Rist AL, de Groot K, Hoogland MLP. Isotopic reconstruction of short to absent breastfeeding in a 19th century rural Dutch community. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265821. [PMID: 35417480 PMCID: PMC9007374 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial feeding of young infants is considered a modern phenomenon. However, historical sources note its practice in some past European populations. This research explores factors that contributed to a short to absent period of breastfeeding in pre-modern Netherlands. Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis is undertaken on 277 19th century individuals from Beemster, a, rural, mainly Protestant, dairy farming community. An intra-individual sampling approach for ≤6 year-olds compares newer metaphyseal to older diaphyseal long bone collagen to classify feeding status at death. Archivally identified individuals permit analyses of sex and year-of-death. Few infants have isotopic evidence for breastfeeding and, if present, it was likely of short duration or a minor source of dietary protein. From only a few weeks to months of age infants were fed cow’s milk and paps with sugar. There is broad dietary homogeneity with no sex or temporal isotopic differences, but young infants (1–11 months) have the most ẟ15N and ẟ13C variation highlighting the effect of multiple dietary and physiological processes. Beemster had many factors associated with high rates of breastfeeding in other Dutch communities, yet, most mothers did not breastfeed, or not for long, showing that regional variation in infant feeding is influenced by community values and traditions. On top of child rearing and domestic chores, female dairy farmers were in charge of milking cattle and dairy production, an important income source, suggesting high workload was also a factor in short or absent breastfeeding periods, aided by the constant supply of fresh milk that could be fed to an infant by an older sibling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L. Waters-Rist
- Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, North Holland, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Kees de Groot
- Historical Society of Beemster, North Holland, The Netherlands
| | - Menno L. P. Hoogland
- Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal, Land en Volkenkunde (KITLV), Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands
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O'Donoghue R, Walker D, Beaumont J. Children of the abyss: Investigating the association between isotopic physiological stress and skeletal pathology in London during the Industrial Revolution. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2021; 35:61-80. [PMID: 34715484 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This project sought to investigate whether an association may be observed between isotopic stress indicators and skeletal evidence of pathological conditions. MATERIALS Deciduous and permanent teeth of 15 non-adults from two contemporaneous mid-19th century London burial grounds (City Bunhill, Lukin Street). METHODS δ13C and δ15N was measured in the incrementally sectioned dentine collagen. Isotopic profiles for each individual included death during tooth development. RESULTS Individuals with skeletal evidence of chronic pathological conditions (e.g., rickets, tuberculosis) exhibited raised δ15N values of 0.5-1.7‰ in the months prior to death. Isotopic change consistent with chronic physiological stress prior to death was also recorded in two individuals with no skeletal evidence of disease. An offset was observed between co-forming bone and dentine δ15N values in both populations, indicating that bone and dentine are not recording the same isotopic changes. CONCLUSIONS Isotopic change consistent with chronic physiological stress was observed in both those with and without skeletal evidence of disease, suggesting that adaptation to chronic stress in childhood was not uncommon within these 19th century London populations. SIGNIFICANCE Chronic physiological stress prior to death may be seen in the incrementally sampled dentine of non-adults who die during tooth formation. LIMITATIONS The temporal resolution of current dentine micro-sampling methods may mask or minimise visibility of shorter-term periods of stress or dietary change. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Future research should further explore the relationship between specific skeletal pathologies and isotopic evidence for stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth O'Donoghue
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK.
| | - Don Walker
- Museum of London Archaeology, Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London, N1 7ED, UK
| | - Julia Beaumont
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK
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Froggatt S, Reissland N, Covey J, Kumarendran K. Foetal mouth movements: Effects of nicotine. Acta Paediatr 2021; 110:3014-3020. [PMID: 34310742 DOI: 10.1111/apa.16042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIM To assess whether foetal mouth movement frequency changes across gestation and whether there are differences between cigarette and e-cigarette exposure conditions in comparison to a non-exposed group of foetuses. METHOD Pregnant women underwent 4-dimensional (4D) foetal ultrasound scans at 32 weeks (106 scans) and 36 weeks of gestational age (87 scans) at James Cook University Hospital, UK. The 4D scans were coded using the Fetal Observable Movement System (FOMS). Measures of maternal smoking status, stress, depression, anxiety, attachment and time of scan were also collected. There were four exposure groups: non-smokers, light smokers (<10 per day), heavy smokers (11-20 per day) and e-cigarette users. RESULTS No significant differences in relative frequency of mouth movements between the exposure groups at 32- and 36 weeks of gestational age were found. Foetal mouth movements declined from 32 to 36 weeks of gestation for non-exposed and e-cigarette-exposed foetuses. CONCLUSION Due to variability in foetal behaviour, examining mouth movements alone may not be the most appropriate method for assessing group differences. However, in line with other research, mouth movement frequency declined between 32- and 36 weeks of gestational age. A combination of foetal behavioural assessments is needed to assess the effects of cigarette and e-cigarette exposure on foetal neurobehavioural development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Judith Covey
- Department of Psychology Durham University Durham UK
| | - Kumar Kumarendran
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department The James Cook University Hospital Middlesbrough UK
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Lum JTS, Chan YN, Leung KSY. Current applications and future perspectives on elemental analysis of non-invasive samples for human biomonitoring. Talanta 2021; 234:122683. [PMID: 34364482 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
Humans are continuously exposed to numerous environmental pollutants including potentially toxic elements. Essential elements play an important role in human health. Abnormal elemental levels in the body, in different forms that existed, have been reported to be correlated with different diseases and environmental exposure. Blood is the conventional biological sample used in human biomonitoring. However, blood samples can only reflect short-term exposure and require invasive sampling, which poses infection risk to individuals. In recent years, the number of research evaluating the effectiveness of non-invasive samples (hair, nails, urine, meconium, breast milk, placenta, cord blood, saliva and teeth) for human biomonitoring is increasing. These samples can be collected easily and provide extra information in addition to blood analysis. Yet, the correlation between the elemental concentration in non-invasive samples and in blood is not well established, which hinders the application of those samples in routine human biomonitoring. This review aims at providing a fundamental overview of analytical methods of non-invasive samples in human biomonitoring. The content covers the sample collection and pretreatment, sample preparation and instrumental analysis. The technical discussions are separated into solution analysis and solid analysis. In the last section, the authors highlight some of the perspectives on the future of elemental analysis in human biomonitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy Tsz-Shan Lum
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Yun-Nam Chan
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, China.
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Kendall E, Millard A, Beaumont J. The "weanling's dilemma" revisited: Evolving bodies of evidence and the problem of infant paleodietary interpretation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175 Suppl 72:57-78. [PMID: 33460467 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Breastfeeding is known to be a powerful mediator of maternal and childhood health, with impacts throughout the life course. Paleodietary studies of the past 30 years have accordingly taken an enduring interest in the health and diet of young children as a potential indicator of population fertility, subsistence, and mortality patterns. While progress has been made in recent decades toward acknowledging the agency of children, many paleodietary reconstructions have failed to incorporate developments in cognate disciplines revealing synergistic dynamics between maternal and offspring biology. Paleodietary interpretation has relied heavily on the "weanling's dilemma," in which infants are thought to face a bleak choice between loss of immunity or malnutrition. Using a review of immunological and epidemiological evidence for the dynamic and supportive role that breastfeeding plays throughout the complementary feeding period, this article offers context and nuance for understanding past feeding transitions. We suggest that future interpretative frameworks for infant paleodietary and bioarchaeological research should include a broad knowledge base that keeps pace with relevant developments outside of those disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Kendall
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Andrew Millard
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Julia Beaumont
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
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