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Davis EP, Demers CH, Deer L, Gallop RJ, Hoffman MC, Grote N, Hankin BL. Impact of prenatal maternal depression on gestational length: post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial. EClinicalMedicine 2024; 72:102601. [PMID: 38680516 PMCID: PMC11053273 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Shortened gestation is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality with lifelong consequences for health. There is a need for public health initiatives on increasing gestational age at birth. Prenatal maternal depression is a pervasive health problem robustly linked via correlational and epidemiological studies to shortened gestational length. This proof-of-concept study tests the impact of reducing prenatal maternal depression on gestational length with analysis of a randomized clinical trial (RCT). Methods Participants included 226 pregnant individuals enrolled into an RCT and assigned to receive either interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) or enhanced usual care (EUC). Recruitment began in July 2017 and participants were enrolled August 10, 2017 to September, 8 2021. Depression diagnosis (Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; DSM 5) and symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Symptom Checklist) were evaluated at baseline and longitudinally throughout gestation to characterize depression trajectories. Gestational dating was collected based on current guidelines via medical records. The primary outcome was gestational age at birth measured dichotomously (≥39 gestational weeks) and the secondary outcome was gestational age at birth measured continuously. Posthoc analyses were performed to test the effect of reducing prenatal maternal depression on gestational length. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03011801). Findings Steeper decreases in depression trajectories across gestation predicted later gestational age at birth, specifically an increase in the number of full-term babies born ≥39 gestational weeks (EPDS linear slopes: OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.10-2.16; and SCL-20 linear slopes: OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.16-2.42). Causal mediation analyses supported the hypothesis that participants assigned to IPT experienced greater reductions in depression symptom trajectories, which in turn, contributed to longer gestation. Supporting mediation, the natural indirect effect (NIE) showed that reduced depression trajectories resulting from intervention were associated with birth ≥39 gestational weeks (EPDS, OR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.02-2.66; SCL-20, OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.16-2.97). Interpretation We used a RCT design and found that reducing maternal depression across pregnancy was associated with lengthened gestation. Funding This research was supported by the NIH (R01 HL155744, R01 MH109662, R21 MH124026, P50 MH096889).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Catherine H. Demers
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - LillyBelle Deer
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Robert J. Gallop
- Department of Mathematics, West Chester University, West Chester, PA, USA
| | - M. Camille Hoffman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Nancy Grote
- School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Benjamin L. Hankin
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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Liu SR, D’Anna-Hernandez K, Sandman CA, Poggi Davis E, Glynn LM. Discrimination and adverse birth outcomes among Latina women: The protective role of social support. CULTURAL DIVERSITY & ETHNIC MINORITY PSYCHOLOGY 2023:2024-22759-001. [PMID: 37930649 PMCID: PMC11070450 DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Interpersonal discrimination has been associated with adverse birth outcomes among Black populations, but few studies have examined the impact of discrimination among Latinx/Hispanic populations in the United States, especially in conjunction with resources that could be protective. The present study examined (a) if exposure to discrimination is associated with adverse birth outcomes for Latina/Hispanic women and (b) if prenatal social support buffers these links. METHOD In two independent prospective studies of Latina/Hispanic women in Southern California (N = 84 and N = 102), the relation between maternal experience of discrimination and birth outcomes (length of gestation and birth weight) was examined. Additionally, social support was tested as a moderator of these relations. RESULTS In both Studies 1 and 2, exposures to discrimination predicted adverse birth outcomes. Specifically, lifetime experiences of major discrimination predicted lower birth weight. Additionally, in Study 2, chronic experiences of everyday discrimination were linked to lower birth weight. In Study 1, major discrimination also predicted shorter gestational length. Importantly, in both studies, the presence of prenatal social support buffered associations between discrimination and poorer birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Findings implicate discrimination as an important risk factor for adverse birth outcomes among women of Latina/Hispanic descent. Further policies, practice, and research on reducing discrimination and enhancing factors that promote resilience such as social support are needed to facilitate healthy births among Latina/Hispanic women, mitigate intergenerational harm of discrimination-related stress, and advance health equity at birth and across the lifespan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina R. Liu
- Department of Human Development, California State University San Marcos
| | | | - Curt A. Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of California Irvine
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine
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3
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Herzberg MP, Triplett R, McCarthy R, Kaplan S, Alexopoulos D, Meyer D, Arora J, Miller JP, Smyser TA, Herzog ED, England SK, Zhao P, Barch DM, Rogers CE, Warner BB, Smyser CD, Luby J. The Association Between Maternal Cortisol and Infant Amygdala Volume Is Moderated by Socioeconomic Status. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:837-846. [PMID: 37881545 PMCID: PMC10593881 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It has been well established that socioeconomic status is associated with mental and physical health as well as brain development, with emerging data suggesting that these relationships begin in utero. However, less is known about how prenatal socioeconomic environments interact with the gestational environment to affect neonatal brain volume. Methods Maternal cortisol output measured at each trimester of pregnancy and neonatal brain structure were assessed in 241 mother-infant dyads. We examined associations between the trajectory of maternal cortisol output across pregnancy and volumes of cortisol receptor-rich regions of the brain, including the amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and caudate. Given the known effects of poverty on infant brain structure, socioeconomic disadvantage was included as a moderating variable. Results Neonatal amygdala volume was predicted by an interaction between maternal cortisol output across pregnancy and socioeconomic disadvantage (standardized β = -0.31, p < .001), controlling for postmenstrual age at scan, infant sex, and total gray matter volume. Notably, amygdala volumes were positively associated with maternal cortisol for infants with maternal disadvantage scores 1 standard deviation below the mean (i.e., less disadvantage) (simple slope = 123.36, p < .01), while the association was negative in infants with maternal disadvantage 1 standard deviation above the mean (i.e., more disadvantage) (simple slope = -82.70, p = .02). Individuals with disadvantage scores at the mean showed no association, and there were no significant interactions in the other brain regions examined. Conclusions These data suggest that fetal development of the amygdala is differentially affected by maternal cortisol production at varying levels of socioeconomic advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max P. Herzberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Regina Triplett
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ronald McCarthy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Sydney Kaplan
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Dominique Meyer
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jyoti Arora
- Department of Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - J. Philip Miller
- Department of Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Tara A. Smyser
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Erik D. Herzog
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Sarah K. England
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Peinan Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Deanna M. Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cynthia E. Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Barbara B. Warner
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Christopher D. Smyser
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Joan Luby
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
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Mumm H, Dreyer AF, Bleses D, Glintborg D, Jensen TK, Boye H, Trecca F, Andersen MS. Maternal cortisol levels in third trimester and early language development: A study of 1093 mother-child pairs from the Odense Child Cohort. J Neuroendocrinol 2023; 35:e13314. [PMID: 37449529 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Language development during early childhood is considered an important marker of fetal neurodevelopment. Prenatal cortisol exposure plays a critical role in maturation of the fetal brain; however, the effect on offspring language development needs further investigation. In this prospective observational study we aimed to evaluate the association between maternal third trimester cortisol and early longitudinal offspring language development in the Odense Child Cohort (OCC) and to test whether there were sex differences in the association. The study cohort included 1093 mother-child dyads (570 boys and 523 girls). Fasting morning serum (s-) cortisol was collected from third trimester (gestational week 26-28) pregnant women and measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Offspring receptive and productive vocabulary assessments by MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories parent reports were completed every third month from children age 12-37 months. Levels of cortisol were higher in women carrying a girl (858 ± 214 nmol/L) than in women carrying a boy (820 ± 222 nmol/L). Higher third trimester maternal cortisol levels showed a positive association with development of productive vocabulary in boys at age 12-21 months (OR = 1.23, SE = 0.07, p = .005) and age 22-37 months (OR = 1.09, SE = 0.06, p = .967). Higher maternal cortisol levels in the third trimester were positively associated with receptive vocabulary in girls at 12-21 months of age (OR = 1.16, SE = 0.05, p = .002). Maternal third trimester s-cortisol levels were positively associated with early language development in children at age 12-37 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Mumm
- Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Anja Fenger Dreyer
- Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dorthe Bleses
- TrygFonden's Centre for Child Research and School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Dorte Glintborg
- Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Tina Kold Jensen
- Odense Child Cohort, Hans Christian Andersen Hospital for Children, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- OPEN Patient data Explorative Network (OPEN), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Henriette Boye
- Odense Child Cohort, Hans Christian Andersen Hospital for Children, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- OPEN Patient data Explorative Network (OPEN), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Fabio Trecca
- TrygFonden's Centre for Child Research and School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Deer LK, Su C, Thwaites NA, Davis EP, Doom JR. A framework for testing pathways from prenatal stress-responsive hormones to cardiovascular disease risk. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1111474. [PMID: 37223037 PMCID: PMC10200937 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1111474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death globally, with the prevalence projected to keep rising. Risk factors for adult CVD emerge at least as early as the prenatal period. Alterations in stress-responsive hormones in the prenatal period are hypothesized to contribute to CVD in adulthood, but little is known about relations between prenatal stress-responsive hormones and early precursors of CVD, such as cardiometabolic risk and health behaviors. The current review presents a theoretical model of the relation between prenatal stress-responsive hormones and adult CVD through cardiometabolic risk markers (e.g., rapid catch-up growth, high BMI/adiposity, high blood pressure, and altered blood glucose, lipids, and metabolic hormones) and health behaviors (e.g., substance use, poor sleep, poor diet and eating behaviors, and low physical activity levels). Emerging evidence in human and non-human animal literatures suggest that altered stress-responsive hormones during gestation predict higher cardiometabolic risk and poorer health behaviors in offspring. This review additionally highlights limitations of the current literature (e.g., lack of racial/ethnic diversity, lack of examination of sex differences), and discusses future directions for this promising area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- LillyBelle K. Deer
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Chen Su
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
| | | | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jenalee R. Doom
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
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Severo M, Ventriglio A, Bellomo A, Iuso S, Petito A. Maternal perinatal depression and child neurocognitive development: A relationship still to be clarified. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1151897. [PMID: 37020735 PMCID: PMC10067625 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1151897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy frequently is associated with emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression. Perinatal depression has an incidence of around 12%. Only recently researcher put the attention on the effects of pre- and postpartum psychopathology on infant neurocognitive development. Neurobiology studies indicate that perinatal maternal depression can significantly affect the structure and function of children's prefrontal cortex and modulate the development of cognitive abilities from intrauterine life. On the topic, the scientific literature appears ambiguous, reporting mixed results. Some studies have found no significant differences in developmental outcomes between prenatal and postpartum exposure to maternal depression, others have suggested a greater burden of depression in pregnancy than in postpartum, and still others have emphasized the role of chronicity of symptoms rather than the period of onset. Few studies have examined the effects of different developmental trajectories of maternal depression on children's neurocognitive outcomes. The assessment of maternal health has for years been limited to postpartum depression often neglecting the timing of onset, the intensity of symptoms and their chronicity. These aspects have received less attention than they deserve, especially in relation to the effects on children's neurocognitive development. The aim of this Perspective was to highlight inconsistencies and gaps that need to be filled in the approach to the study of this problem. Given the wide heterogeneity of data in the current literature, further studies are needed to clarify these interactions. This Perspective provides an overview of current progress, future directions, and a presentation of the authors' views on the topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melania Severo
- Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Antonio Ventriglio
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Antonello Bellomo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Salvatore Iuso
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Annamaria Petito
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
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Pino O, Di Pietro S, Poli D. Effect of Musical Stimulation on Placental Programming and Neurodevelopment Outcome of Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2718. [PMID: 36768104 PMCID: PMC9915377 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fetal environment is modulated by the placenta, which integrates and transduces information from the maternal environment to the fetal developmental program and adapts rapidly to changes through epigenetic mechanisms that respond to internal (hereditary) and external (environmental and social) signals. Consequently, the fetus corrects the trajectory of own development. During the last trimester of gestation, plasticity shapes the fetal brain, and prematurity can alter the typical developmental trajectories. In this period, prevention through activity-inducing (e.g., music stimulation) interventions are currently tested. The purpose of this review is to describe the potentialities of music exposure on fetus, and on preterm newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit evaluating its influence on neurobehavioral development. METHODS Databases were searched from 2010 to 2022 for studies investigating mechanisms of placental epigenetic regulation and effects of music exposure on the fetus and pre-term neonates. RESULTS In this case, 28 selected papers were distributed into three research lines: studies on placental epigenetic regulation (13 papers), experimental studies of music stimulation on fetus or newborns (6 papers), and clinical studies on premature babies (9 papers). Placental epigenetic changes of the genes involved in the cortisol and serotonin response resulted associated with different neurobehavioral phenotypes in newborns. Prenatal music stimulation had positive effects on fetus, newborn, and pregnant mother while post-natal exposure affected the neurodevelopment of the preterm infants and parental interaction. CONCLUSIONS The results testify the relevance of environmental stimuli for brain development during the pre- and perinatal periods and the beneficial effects of musical stimulation that can handle the fetal programming and the main neurobehavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olimpia Pino
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Sofia Di Pietro
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Diana Poli
- INAIL Research, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Via Fontana Candida 1, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone, Italy
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Tyborowska A, Gruber K, Beijers R, Kühn S, Roelofs K, de Weerth C. No evidence for association between late pregnancy maternal cortisol and gray matter volume in a healthy community sample of young adolescents. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:893847. [PMID: 36117621 PMCID: PMC9470950 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.893847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A compelling amount of animal and human research has shown that perceived maternal stress during pregnancy can affect the neurodevelopment of the offspring. Prenatal maternal cortisol is frequently proposed as the biological key mechanism underlying this link; however, literature that investigates the effects of prenatal cortisol on subsequent neurodevelopment in humans is scarce. By using longitudinal data from a relatively large community sample of mother-child dyads (N = 73), this pre-registered study prospectively examined the role of maternal prenatal cortisol concentrations on subsequent individual differences in gray matter volume (GMV) and hippocampal subfield volumes at the onset of puberty of the offspring (12 years of age). Two markers of cortisol, that is, evening cortisol and circadian decline over the day, were used as indicators of maternal physiological stress during the last trimester of pregnancy. The results indicate that prenatal maternal cortisol levels were not associated with GMV or hippocampal subfield volumes of the children. These findings suggest that late pregnancy maternal cortisol may not be related to the structural development of the offspring's brain, at least not in healthy community samples and at the onset of puberty. When examining the influence of prenatal stress on offspring neurodevelopment, future investigations should delineate gestational timing effects of the cortisol exposure, cortisol assessment method, and impact of additional biomarkers, as these were not investigated in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Tyborowska
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Katharina Gruber
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Roseriet Beijers
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Simone Kühn
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Carolina de Weerth
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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9
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Jeanneteau F, Coutellier L. The glucocorticoid footprint on the memory engram. CURRENT OPINION IN ENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC RESEARCH 2022; 25:100378. [PMID: 38486965 PMCID: PMC10938917 DOI: 10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The complexity of the classical inverted U-shaped relationship between cortisol levels and responses transposable to stress reactivity has led to an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms enabling healthy and toxic effects of stress on brain and behavior. A clearer, more detailed, picture of those relationships can be obtained by integrating cortisol effects on large-scale brain networks, in particular, by focusing on neural network configurations from the perspective of inhibition and excitation. A unifying view of Semon and Hebb's theories of cellular memory links the biophysical and metabolic changes in neuronal ensembles to the strengthening of collective synapses. In that sense, the neuronal capacity to record, store, and retrieve information directly relates to the adaptive capacity of its connectivity and metabolic reserves. Here, we use task-activated cell ensembles or simply engram cells as an example to demonstrate that the adaptive behavioral responses to stress result from collective synapse strength within and across networks of interneurons and excitatory ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freddy Jeanneteau
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Laurence Coutellier
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
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10
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Acute stress promotes brain network integration and reduces state transition variability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204144119. [PMID: 35666866 PMCID: PMC9214508 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204144119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the prevalence of stress, how brains reconfigure their multilevel, hierarchical functional organization in response to acute stress remains unclear. We examined changes in brain networks after social stress using whole-brain resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) by extending our recently published nested-spectral partition method, which quantified the functional balance between network segregation and integration. Acute stress was found to shift the brain into a more integrated and less segregated state, especially in frontal-temporal regions. Stress also stabilized brain states by reducing the variability of dynamic transition between segregated and integrated states. Transition frequency was associated with the change of cortisol, and transition variability was correlated with cognitive control. Our results show that brain networks tend to be more integrated and less variable after acute stress, possibly to enable efficient coping.
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11
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Urizar GG, Muñoz RF. Role of Maternal Depression on Child Development: A Prospective Analysis from Pregnancy to Early Childhood. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2022; 53:502-514. [PMID: 33646485 PMCID: PMC10911822 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-021-01138-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have examined how different characteristics of maternal depression may be associated with developmental outcomes among low-income children. The current study prospectively examined whether the timing (pregnancy vs. early postpartum), severity, and chronicity of maternal depression were associated with child cognitive and social-emotional development in two cohorts of primarily low-income Latinx immigrant mothers and their children. Maternal depression was assessed during pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. Child development was assessed up to 5 years postpartum. Results showed that maternal depression experienced during pregnancy was associated with lower child cognitive development, particularly among girls. Additionally, both the timing (pregnancy and early postpartum) and severity/chronicity of maternal depression were each independently associated with lower child social-emotional development. These findings highlight the need for early prevention interventions to help offset the adverse effects of maternal depression on child developmental outcomes in this at-risk population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido G Urizar
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA, 90840-0901, USA.
| | - Ricardo F Muñoz
- Department of Psychology and Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health, Palo Alto University, 1791 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
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Khan S, Siddique R, Hao X, Lin Y, Liu Y, Wang X, Hua L, Nabi G. The COVID-19 infection in children and its association with the immune system, prenatal stress, and neurological complications. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18:707-716. [PMID: 35002519 PMCID: PMC8741858 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.66906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)” caused by the “severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” has caused huge losses to the world due to the unavailability of effective treatment options. It is now a serious threat to humans as it causes severe respiratory disease, neurological complications, and other associated problems. Although COVID-19 generally causes mild and recoverable symptoms in children, it can cause serious severe symptoms and death causing complications. Most importantly, SARS-CoV-2 can cause neurological complications in children, such as shortness of breath, myalgia, stroke, and encephalopathy. These problems are highly linked with cytokine storm and proinflammatory responses, which can alter the physiology of the blood-brain barrier and allow the virus to enter the brain. Despite the direct infection caused by the virus entry into the brain, these neurological complications can result from indirect means such as severe immune responses. This review discusses viral transmission, transport to the brain, the associated prenatal stress, and neurological and/or immunological complications in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suliman Khan
- Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Department of Medical Lab Technology, The University of Haripur, Pakistan
| | - Rabeea Siddique
- Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiao Hao
- Advanced Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yueting Lin
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yuxin Liu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Department of Child Healthcare, Hubei Maternal and Children's Hospital, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Linlin Hua
- Advanced Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ghulam Nabi
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China
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13
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Demers CH, Bagonis MM, Al-Ali K, Garcia SE, Styner MA, Gilmore JH, Hoffman MC, Hankin BL, Davis EP. Exposure to prenatal maternal distress and infant white matter neurodevelopment. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:1526-1538. [PMID: 35586027 PMCID: PMC9109943 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The prenatal period represents a critical time for brain growth and development. These rapid neurological advances render the fetus susceptible to various influences with life-long implications for mental health. Maternal distress signals are a dominant early life influence, contributing to birth outcomes and risk for offspring psychopathology. This prospective longitudinal study evaluated the association between prenatal maternal distress and infant white matter microstructure. Participants included a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 85 mother-infant dyads. Prenatal distress was assessed at 17 and 29 weeks' gestational age (GA). Infant structural data were collected via diffusion tensor imaging at 42-45 weeks' postconceptional age. Findings demonstrated that higher prenatal maternal distress at 29 weeks' GA was associated with increased fractional anisotropy (b = .283, t(64) = 2.319, p = .024) and with increased axial diffusivity (b = .254, t(64) = 2.067, p = .043) within the right anterior cingulate white matter tract. No other significant associations were found with prenatal distress exposure and tract fractional anisotropy or axial diffusivity at 29 weeks' GA, nor earlier in gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine H. Demers
- Department of Psychology University of Denver, Denver CO,
USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus, Aurora CO, USA
| | - Maria M. Bagonis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
| | - Khalid Al-Ali
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
| | - Sarah E. Garcia
- Department of Psychology University of Denver, Denver CO,
USA
| | - Martin A. Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
| | - John H. Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC, USA
| | - M. Camille Hoffman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus, Aurora CO, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of
Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine,
Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Benjamin L. Hankin
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Champaign IL, USA
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology University of Denver, Denver CO,
USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of
California, Irvine, CA, USA
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14
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Rezaei Z, Jafari Z, Afrashteh N, Torabi R, Singh S, Kolb BE, Davidsen J, Mohajerani MH. Prenatal stress dysregulates resting-state functional connectivity and sensory motifs. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100345. [PMID: 34124321 PMCID: PMC8173309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) can impact fetal brain structure and function and contribute to higher vulnerability to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. To understand how PS alters evoked and spontaneous neocortical activity and intrinsic brain functional connectivity, mesoscale voltage imaging was performed in adult C57BL/6NJ mice that had been exposed to auditory stress on gestational days 12-16, the age at which neocortex is developing. PS mice had a four-fold higher basal corticosterone level and reduced amplitude of cortical sensory-evoked responses to visual, auditory, whisker, forelimb, and hindlimb stimuli. Relative to control animals, PS led to a general reduction of resting-state functional connectivity, as well as reduced inter-modular connectivity, enhanced intra-modular connectivity, and altered frequency of auditory and forelimb spontaneous sensory motifs. These resting-state changes resulted in a cortical connectivity pattern featuring disjoint but tight modules and a decline in network efficiency. The findings demonstrate that cortical connectivity is sensitive to PS and exposed offspring may be at risk for adult stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Rezaei
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Zahra Jafari
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Navvab Afrashteh
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Reza Torabi
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Surjeet Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Bryan E. Kolb
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Jörn Davidsen
- Complexity Science Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Majid H. Mohajerani
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
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15
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Neurocognitive development of novelty and error monitoring in children and adolescents. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19844. [PMID: 34615914 PMCID: PMC8494897 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99043-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The abilities to monitor one's actions and novel information in the environment are crucial for behavioural and cognitive control. This study investigated the development of error and novelty monitoring and their electrophysiological correlates by using a combined flanker with novelty-oddball task in children (7-12 years) and adolescents (14-18 years). Potential moderating influences of prenatal perturbation of steroid hormones on these performance monitoring processes were explored by comparing individuals who were prenatally exposed and who were not prenatally exposed to synthetic glucocorticoids (sGC). Generally, adolescents performed more accurately and faster than children. However, behavioural adaptations to error or novelty, as reflected in post-error or post-novelty slowing, showed different developmental patterns. Whereas post-novelty slowing could be observed in children and adolescents, error-related slowing was absent in children and was marginally significant in adolescents. Furthermore, the amplitude of error-related negativity was larger in adolescents, whereas the amplitude of novelty-related N2 was larger in children. These age differences suggest that processes involving top-down processing of task-relevant information (for instance, error monitoring) mature later than processes implicating bottom-up processing of salient novel stimuli (for instance, novelty monitoring). Prenatal exposure to sGC did not directly affect performance monitoring but initial findings suggest that it might alter brain-behaviour relation, especially for novelty monitoring.
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16
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Cowell W, Khoury JE, Petty CR, Day HE, Benítez BE, Cunningham MK, Schulz SM, Ritz T, Wright RJ, Enlow MB. Integrated and diurnal indices of maternal pregnancy cortisol in relation to sex-specific parasympathetic responsivity to stress in infants. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:350-363. [PMID: 32658309 PMCID: PMC7855344 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity may prenatally program sex-specific stress-response pathways. We investigated associations between maternal cortisol during pregnancy and infant parasympathetic responsivity to stress among 204 mother-infant pairs. Cortisol indices included 3rd trimester hair cortisol, as well as diurnal slope and area under the curve, derived from saliva samples collected during pregnancy. Mother-infant dyads participated in the Repeated Still-Face Paradigm (SFP-R) at age 6 months. We calculated respiration-adjusted respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSAc ), an indicator of parasympathetic activation, from infant respiration and cardiac activity measured during the SFP-R. We used multivariable linear mixed models to examine each cortisol index in relation to infant RSAc and investigated sex differences using cross-product terms. Diurnal cortisol indices were not associated with RSAc . There was no association between hair cortisol and baseline RSAc . However, hair cortisol was associated with sex-specific changes in RSAc over the SFP-R such that, among girls, parasympathetic withdrawal was reduced with increasing prenatal exposure to cortisol. Consistently higher levels of prenatal cortisol exposure may lead to dampened parasympathetic responsivity to stress during infancy, particularly among girls. Maternal hair cortisol may be particularly valuable for studying the effects of prenatal cortisol exposure on infant autonomic reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney Cowell
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Jennifer E. Khoury
- Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Carter R Petty
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Helen E. Day
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Brian E. Benítez
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | | | - Stefan M. Schulz
- Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Experimental Psychopathology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Ritz
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY,Department of Pediatrics, Kravis Children’s Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY,Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
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17
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Hunter SK, Hoffman MC, D'Alessandro A, Noonan K, Wyrwa A, Freedman R, Law AJ. Male fetus susceptibility to maternal inflammation: C-reactive protein and brain development. Psychol Med 2021; 51:450-459. [PMID: 31787129 PMCID: PMC7263978 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719003313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal inflammation in early pregnancy has been identified epidemiologically as a prenatal pathogenic factor for the offspring's later mental illness. Early newborn manifestations of the effects of maternal inflammation on human fetal brain development are largely unknown. METHODS Maternal infection, depression, obesity, and other factors associated with inflammation were assessed at 16 weeks gestation, along with maternal C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines, and serum choline. Cerebral inhibition was assessed by inhibitory P50 sensory gating at 1 month of age, and infant behavior was assessed by maternal ratings at 3 months of age. RESULTS Maternal CRP diminished the development of cerebral inhibition in newborn males but paradoxically increased inhibition in females. Similar sex-dependent effects were seen in mothers' assessment of their infant's self-regulatory behaviors at 3 months of age. Higher maternal choline levels partly mitigated the effect of CRP in male offspring. CONCLUSIONS The male fetal-placental unit appears to be more sensitive to maternal inflammation than females. Effects are particularly marked on cerebral inhibition. Deficits in cerebral inhibition 1 month after birth, similar to those observed in several mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, indicate fetal developmental pathways that may lead to later mental illness. Deficits in early infant behavior follow. Early intervention before birth, including prenatal vitamins, folate, and choline supplements, may help prevent fetal development of pathophysiological deficits that can have life-long consequences for mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon K Hunter
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
| | - M Camille Hoffman
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
| | - Angelo D'Alessandro
- Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
| | - Kathleen Noonan
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
| | - Anna Wyrwa
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
| | - Robert Freedman
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
| | - Amanda J Law
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado80045, USA
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18
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Davis EP, Narayan AJ. Pregnancy as a period of risk, adaptation, and resilience for mothers and infants. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 32:1625-1639. [PMID: 33427164 PMCID: PMC7863987 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The pregnancy period represents a unique window of opportunity to identify risks to both the fetus and mother and to deter the intergenerational transmission of adversity and mental health problems. Although the maternal-fetal dyad is especially vulnerable to the effects of stress during pregnancy, less is known about how the dyad is also receptive to salutary, resilience-promoting influences. The present review adopts life span and intergenerational perspectives to review four key areas of research. The first part describes how pregnancy is a sensitive period for both the mother and fetus. In the second part, the focus is on antecedents of maternal prenatal risks pertaining to prenatal stress response systems and mental health. The third part then turns to elucidating how these alterations in prenatal stress physiology and mental health problems may affect infant and child outcomes. The fourth part underscores how pregnancy is also a time of heightened fetal receptivity to maternal and environmental signals, with profound implications for adaptation. This section also reviews empirical evidence of promotive and protective factors that buffer the mother and fetus from developmental and adaptational problems and covers a sample of rigorous evidence-based prenatal interventions that prevent maladaptation in the maternal-fetal dyad before babies are born. Finally, recommendations elaborate on how to further strengthen understanding of pregnancy as a period of multilevel risk and resilience, enhance comprehensive prenatal screening, and expand on prenatal interventions to promote maternal-fetal adaptation before birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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19
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Stoye DQ, Blesa M, Sullivan G, Galdi P, Lamb GJ, Black GS, Quigley AJ, Thrippleton MJ, Bastin ME, Reynolds RM, Boardman JP. Maternal cortisol is associated with neonatal amygdala microstructure and connectivity in a sexually dimorphic manner. eLife 2020; 9:60729. [PMID: 33228850 PMCID: PMC7685701 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms linking maternal stress in pregnancy with infant neurodevelopment in a sexually dimorphic manner are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, measured by hair cortisol concentration (HCC), is associated with microstructure, structural connectivity, and volume of the infant amygdala. In 78 mother-infant dyads, maternal hair was sampled postnatally, and infants underwent magnetic resonance imaging at term-equivalent age. We found a relationship between maternal HCC and amygdala development that differed according to infant sex. Higher HCC was associated with higher left amygdala fractional anisotropy (β = 0.677, p=0.010), lower left amygdala orientation dispersion index (β = −0.597, p=0.034), and higher fractional anisotropy in connections between the right amygdala and putamen (β = 0.475, p=0.007) in girls compared to boys. Furthermore, altered amygdala microstructure was only observed in boys, with connectivity changes restricted to girls. Maternal cortisol during pregnancy is related to newborn amygdala architecture and connectivity in a sexually dimorphic manner. Given the fundamental role of the amygdala in the emergence of emotion regulation, these findings offer new insights into mechanisms linking maternal health with neuropsychiatric outcomes of children. Stress during pregnancy, for example because of mental or physical disorders, can have long-term effects on child development. Epidemiological studies have shown that individuals exposed to stress in the womb are at higher risk of developmental and mood conditions, such as ADHD and depression. This effect is different between the sexes, and the biological mechanisms that underpin these observations are poorly understood. One possibility is that a baby’s developing amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotions, is affected by a signal known as cortisol. This hormone is best known for its role in coordinating the stress response, but it also directs the growth of a fetus. Tracking fetal amygdala changes as well as cortisol levels in the pregnant individual could explain how stress during pregnancy affects development. To investigate, Stoye et al. recruited nearly 80 volunteers and their newborn children. MRI scans were used to examine the structure of the amygdala, and how it is connected to other parts of the brain. In parallel, the amount of cortisol was measured in hair samples collected from the volunteers around the time of birth, which reflects stress levels during the final three months of pregnancy. Linking the brain imaging results to the volunteers’ cortisol levels showed that being exposed to higher cortisol levels in the womb affected babies in different ways based on their sex: boys showed alterations in the fine structure of their amygdala, while girls displayed changes in the way that brain region connected to other neural networks. The work by Stoye et al. potentially reveals a biological mechanism by which early exposure to stress could affect brain development differently between the sexes, potentially informing real-world interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Q Stoye
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel Blesa
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gemma Sullivan
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Paola Galdi
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian J Lamb
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gill S Black
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Alan J Quigley
- Department of Radiology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Thrippleton
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mark E Bastin
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca M Reynolds
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - James P Boardman
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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20
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van’t Westeinde A, Zimmermann M, Messina V, Karlsson L, Padilla N, Lajic S. First Trimester DEX Treatment Is Not Associated with Altered Brain Activity During Working Memory Performance in Adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 105:5900055. [PMID: 32869847 PMCID: PMC7510958 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) treatment is sometimes used in pregnancies at risk for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) to prevent virilization in female fetuses with CAH. In boys and in fetuses not having CAH, there is no benefit of early DEX treatment and the risks of this therapy must be thoroughly investigated. High doses of prenatal glucocorticoid might alter the developmental trajectory of the brain into adulthood, even for CAH unaffected subjects treated with DEX for a short term during the first trimester. OBJECTIVE The present study investigated brain activation during working memory performance in DEX-treated subjects compared with controls. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We tested 18 participants who were exposed to DEX during the first trimester of fetal life but did not have CAH (8 females; mean age 20.78 [standard deviation (SD), 2.67] years) and 40 control participants (24 females; mean age 20.53 [SD, 2.64]) from a single research institute. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging on a 3T scanner during a verbal and visuospatial working memory task. RESULTS We did not observe any differences in brain activity during working memory performance. However, DEX-treated subjects responded faster during the experimental condition of the verbal WM task. CONCLUSIONS First trimester DEX treatment did not seem to result in altered working memory-related brain activity at adult age. Our findings contribute to the risk-benefit assessment of prenatal DEX treatment in the context of CAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annelies van’t Westeinde
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit (QB83), Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Annelies van’t Westeinde, MSc, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden. E-mail:
| | - Marius Zimmermann
- Section for Cognitive Systems, DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Valeria Messina
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit (QB83), Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leif Karlsson
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit (QB83), Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nelly Padilla
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neonatology Norrbacka, Karolinska vägen, Sweden
| | - Svetlana Lajic
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit (QB83), Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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21
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Riis JL, Granger DA, Woo H, Voegtline K, DiPietro JA, Johnson SB. Long-Term Associations Between Prenatal Maternal Cortisol and Child Neuroendocrine-Immune Regulation. Int J Behav Med 2020; 27:267-281. [PMID: 31506880 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-019-09814-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advancing understanding of the developmental origins of neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) functioning is key to elucidating the biological mechanisms involved in health and disease risk across the lifespan. This study examined whether prenatal maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity moderates child NEI relations and explored the consistency of this moderating effect across gestation. METHODS Pregnant women participated in five prenatal study visits from 24 to 38 weeks gestation. At each visit, women provided a saliva sample. In a 5-year follow-up study, children (nfemale = 25, nmale=20) provided four saliva samples and participated in behavioral assessments and challenge tasks. Prenatal maternal saliva samples were assayed for cortisol. Child saliva samples were assayed for cortisol and cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα) as indices of HPA and inflammatory activity. Multilevel mixed-effects models examined the moderation of child NEI relations by prenatal maternal cortisol. RESULTS Among males, average prenatal maternal cortisol did not moderate child NEI relations. Among females, average prenatal maternal cortisol moderated some child NEI relations with higher prenatal cortisol associated with more positive cortisol-cytokine relations at age five. When examined by gestational time point, there were more significant NEI moderation effects by maternal cortisol from later gestation (≥ 30 weeks) than earlier. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest prenatal maternal HPA activity may moderate child NEI functioning. Additional research conducted with more heterogeneous and larger samples is needed to fully understand these relations. Furthering our knowledge of NEI development has important research and clinical implications, particularly for understanding and addressing conditions with inflammatory pathophysiologies, such as depression and cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna L Riis
- School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Douglas A Granger
- School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Han Woo
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Janet A DiPietro
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sara B Johnson
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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22
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van’t Westeinde A, Karlsson L, Nordenström A, Padilla N, Lajic S. First-Trimester Prenatal Dexamethasone Treatment Is Associated With Alterations in Brain Structure at Adult Age. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 105:5851472. [PMID: 32497228 PMCID: PMC7304558 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Prenatal treatment of human disease is rare. Dexamethasone (DEX) is used in pregnancies at risk for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) to prevent virilization in an affected female fetus. The safety and long-term consequences of prenatal DEX exposure on the brain are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE We investigate whether first-trimester prenatal DEX treatment is associated with alterations in brain structure at adult age, and if these alterations are associated with DNA methylation, mood, and cognitive abilities. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging scans, from a single research institute, are compared between 19 (9 women) first-trimester DEX-treated individuals, at risk of CAH but not having CAH, and 43 (26 women) controls (age range, 16.0-26.4 years). RESULTS DEX-treated participants showed bilateral enlargement of the amygdala, increased surface area and volume of the left superior frontal gyrus, and widespread increased radial, mean, and axial diffusivity of white matter, in particular in the superior longitudinal fasciculi and corticospinal tracts. In the DEX-treated group, increased mean and radial diffusivity correlated with increased methylation of the promotor region of the FKBP5 gene. There were no group differences in cognition or in scales assessing depression or anxiety, and the relationship between brain structure and cognition did not differ between DEX-treated and controls. CONCLUSIONS First-trimester prenatal DEX treatment is associated with structural alterations of the brain at adult age, with an accompanying change in gene methylation. The findings add to the safety concerns of prenatal DEX treatment in the context of CAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annelies van’t Westeinde
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Annelies van’t Westeinde, MSc, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Karolinskavägen 37A (QB83), Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail:
| | - Leif Karlsson
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Nordenström
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nelly Padilla
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Division of Neonatology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Svetlana Lajic
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Endocrinology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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23
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Kim DJ, Min BK. Rich-club in the brain's macrostructure: Insights from graph theoretical analysis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:1761-1773. [PMID: 32695269 PMCID: PMC7355726 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain is a complex network. Growing evidence supports the critical roles of a set of brain regions within the brain network, known as the brain’s cores or hubs. These regions require high energy cost but possess highly efficient neural information transfer in the brain’s network and are termed the rich-club. The rich-club of the brain network is essential as it directly regulates functional integration across multiple segregated regions and helps to optimize cognitive processes. Here, we review the recent advances in rich-club organization to address the fundamental roles of the rich-club in the brain and discuss how these core brain regions affect brain development and disorders. We describe the concepts of the rich-club behind network construction in the brain using graph theoretical analysis. We also highlight novel insights based on animal studies related to the rich-club and illustrate how human studies using neuroimaging techniques for brain development and psychiatric/neurological disorders may be relevant to the rich-club phenomenon in the brain network.
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Key Words
- AD, Alzheimer’s disease
- ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- ASD, autism spectrum disorder
- BD, bipolar disorder
- Brain connectivity
- Brain network
- DTI, diffusion tensor imaging
- EEG, electroencephalography
- Graph theory
- MDD, major depressive disorder
- MEG, magnetoencephalography
- MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
- Neuroimaging
- Rich-club
- TBI, traumatic brain injury
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae-Jin Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Byoung-Kyong Min
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
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24
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Noroña-Zhou AN, Morgan A, Glynn LM, Sandman CA, Baram TZ, Stern HS, Davis EP. Unpredictable maternal behavior is associated with a blunted infant cortisol response. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 62:882-888. [PMID: 32115696 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is associated with poor physical and mental health. Early-life adversity may dysregulate cortisol response to subsequent stress. This study examines the association between patterns of maternal behavior and infant stress response to a challenge. Specifically, we test whether infant exposure to unpredictable maternal sensory signals is related to the cortisol response to a painful stressor. METHOD Participants were 102 mothers and their children enrolled in a longitudinal study. Patterns of maternal sensory signals were evaluated at 6 and 12 months during a 10-min mother-infant play episode. Entropy rate was calculated as a quantitative measure of the degree of unpredictability of maternal sensory signals (visual, auditory, and tactile) exhibited during the play episode. Infant saliva samples were collected for cortisol analysis before and after inoculation at 12 months. RESULTS Unpredictable patterns of maternal sensory signals were associated with a blunted infant cortisol response to a painful stressor. This relation persisted after evaluation of covariates including maternal sensitivity and maternal psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that unpredictable patterns of maternal sensory signals are one process through which caregiving affects the function of infant stress response systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N Noroña-Zhou
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Alyssa Morgan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Curt A Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hal S Stern
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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25
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Short AK, Baram TZ. Early-life adversity and neurological disease: age-old questions and novel answers. Nat Rev Neurol 2019; 15:657-669. [PMID: 31530940 PMCID: PMC7261498 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-019-0246-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Neurological illnesses, including cognitive impairment, memory decline and dementia, affect over 50 million people worldwide, imposing a substantial burden on individuals and society. These disorders arise from a combination of genetic, environmental and experiential factors, with the latter two factors having the greatest impact during sensitive periods in development. In this Review, we focus on the contribution of adverse early-life experiences to aberrant brain maturation, which might underlie vulnerability to cognitive brain disorders. Specifically, we draw on recent robust discoveries from diverse disciplines, encompassing human studies and experimental models. These discoveries suggest that early-life adversity, especially in the perinatal period, influences the maturation of brain circuits involved in cognition. Importantly, new findings suggest that fragmented and unpredictable environmental and parental signals comprise a novel potent type of adversity, which contributes to subsequent vulnerabilities to cognitive illnesses via mechanisms involving disordered maturation of brain 'wiring'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel K Short
- Departments of Anatomy and Neruobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Departments of Anatomy and Neruobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Departments of Neurology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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26
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Heim CM, Entringer S, Buss C. Translating basic research knowledge on the biological embedding of early-life stress into novel approaches for the developmental programming of lifelong health. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 105:123-137. [PMID: 30578047 PMCID: PMC6561839 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This review integrates scientific knowledge obtained over the past few decades on the biological mechanisms that contribute to the profound association between exposure to early adversity, including childhood trauma and prenatal stress, and the lifelong elevated risk to develop a broad range of diseases. We further discuss insights into gene-environment interactions moderating the association between early adversity and disease manifestation and we discuss the role of epigenetic and other molecular processes in the biological embedding of early adversity. Based on these findings, we propose potential mechanisms that may contribute to the intergenerational transmission of risk related to early adversity from the mother to the fetus. Finally, we argue that basic research knowledge on the biological embedding of early adversity must now be translated into novel intervention strategies that are mechanism-driven and sensitive to developmental timing. Indeed, to date, there are no diagnostic biomarkers of risk or mechanism-informed interventions that we can offer to victims of early adversity in order to efficiently prevent or reverse adverse health outcomes. Such translational efforts can be expected to have significant impact on both clinical practice and the public health system, and will promote precision medicine in pediatrics and across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Heim
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany,Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health & Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA,Corresponding authors at: Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Luisenstr. 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany., (C.M. Heim), (S. Entringer), (C. Buss)
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany; Development, Health, and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA, USA.
| | - Claudia Buss
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany; Development, Health, and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA, USA.
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27
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Risbrough VB, Glynn LM, Davis EP, Sandman CA, Obenaus A, Stern HS, Keator DB, Yassa MA, Baram TZ, Baker DG. Does Anhedonia Presage Increased Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? : Adolescent Anhedonia and Posttraumatic Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 38:249-265. [PMID: 29796839 PMCID: PMC9167566 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Anhedonia, the reduced ability to experience pleasure, is a dimensional entity linked to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, where it is associated with diminished treatment response, reduced global function, and increased suicidality. It has been suggested that anhedonia and the related disruption in reward processing may be critical precursors to development of psychiatric symptoms later in life. Here, we examine cross-species evidence supporting the hypothesis that early life experiences modulate development of reward processing, which if disrupted, result in anhedonia. Importantly, we find that anhedonia may confer risk for later neuropsychiatric disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whereas childhood trauma has long been associated with increased anhedonia and increased subsequent risk for trauma-related disorders in adulthood, here we focus on an additional novel, emerging direct contributor to anhedonia in rodents and humans: fragmented, chaotic environmental signals ("FRAG") during critical periods of development. In rodents, recent data suggest that adolescent anhedonia may derive from aberrant pleasure/reward circuit maturation. In humans, recent longitudinal studies support that FRAG is associated with increased anhedonia in adolescence. Both human and rodent FRAG exposure also leads to aberrant hippocampal function. Prospective studies are underway to examine if anhedonia is also a marker of PTSD risk. These preliminary cross-species studies provide a critical construct for future examination of the etiology of trauma-related symptoms in adults and for and development of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. In addition, longitudinal studies of reward circuit development with and without FRAG will be critical to test the mechanistic hypothesis that early life FRAG modifies reward circuitry with subsequent consequences for adolescent-emergent anhedonia and contributes to risk and resilience to trauma and stress in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria B Risbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego Veterans Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Elysia P Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Curt A Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Andre Obenaus
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hal S Stern
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - David B Keator
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Yassa
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Dewleen G Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego Veterans Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
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28
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Hicks LM, Swales DA, Garcia SE, Driver C, Davis EP. Does Prenatal Maternal Distress Contribute to Sex Differences in Child Psychopathology? Curr Psychiatry Rep 2019; 21:7. [PMID: 30729361 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-019-0992-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Prenatal maternal psychological distress is an established risk factor for the development of psychopathology in offspring. The purpose of this review is to evaluate whether sex differences in fetal responses to maternal distress contribute to sex differences in subsequent psychopathology. RECENT FINDINGS Male and female fetuses respond differently to stress signals. We review recent evidence that demonstrates a sex-specific pattern of association between prenatal maternal distress and pathways associated with risk for psychopathology including offspring hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis regulation, brain development, and negative emotionality. Prenatal maternal distress exerts sex-specific consequences on the fetus. These differences may contribute to the well-established sex differences in psychopathology and in particular to greater female vulnerability to develop internalizing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel M Hicks
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208, USA
| | - Danielle A Swales
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208, USA
| | - Sarah E Garcia
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208, USA
| | - Camille Driver
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208, USA
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA.
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29
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Graham AM, Rasmussen JM, Entringer S, Ben Ward E, Rudolph MD, Gilmore JH, Styner M, Wadhwa PD, Fair DA, Buss C. Maternal Cortisol Concentrations During Pregnancy and Sex-Specific Associations With Neonatal Amygdala Connectivity and Emerging Internalizing Behaviors. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:172-181. [PMID: 30122286 PMCID: PMC6632079 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal cortisol during pregnancy has the potential to influence rapidly developing fetal brain systems that are commonly altered in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Research examining maternal cortisol concentrations across pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment proximal to birth is needed to advance understanding in this area and lead to insight into the etiology of these disorders. METHODS Participants were 70 adult women recruited during early pregnancy and their infants born after 34 weeks gestation. Maternal cortisol concentrations were assessed serially over 4 days in early, mid, and late gestation. Resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging of the neonatal amygdala was examined. Mothers reported on children's internalizing behavior problems at 24 months of age. RESULTS Maternal cortisol concentrations during pregnancy were significantly associated with neonatal amygdala connectivity in a sex-specific manner. Elevated maternal cortisol was associated with stronger amygdala connectivity to brain regions involved in sensory processing and integration, as well as the default mode network in girls, and with weaker connectivity to these brain regions in boys. Elevated maternal cortisol was associated with higher internalizing symptoms in girls only, and this association was mediated by stronger neonatal amygdala connectivity. CONCLUSIONS Normative variation in maternal cortisol during pregnancy is associated with the coordinated functioning of the amygdala soon after birth in a sex-specific manner. The identified pathway from maternal cortisol to higher internalizing symptoms in girls via alterations in neonatal amygdala connectivity may be relevant for the etiology of sex differences in internalizing psychiatric disorders, which are more prevalent in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M Graham
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jerod M Rasmussen
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elizabeth Ben Ward
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Marc D Rudolph
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Martin Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Pathik D Wadhwa
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California.
| | - Damien A Fair
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon; Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Claudia Buss
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany
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30
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Lindsay KL, Buss C, Wadhwa PD, Entringer S. The Interplay Between Nutrition and Stress in Pregnancy: Implications for Fetal Programming of Brain Development. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:135-149. [PMID: 30057177 PMCID: PMC6389360 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Growing evidence supports an important role for the intrauterine environment in shaping fetal development and subsequent child health and disease risk. The fetal brain is particularly plastic, whereby even subtle changes in structure and function produced by in utero conditions can have long-term implications. Based on the consideration that conditions related to energy substrate and likelihood of survival to reproductive age are particularly salient drivers of fetal programming, maternal nutrition and stress represent the most commonly, but independently, studied factors in this context. However, the effects of maternal nutrition and stress are context dependent and may be moderated by one another. Studies examining the effects of the bidirectional nutrition-stress interplay in pregnancy on fetal programming of brain development are beginning to emerge in the literature. This review incorporates all currently available animal and human studies of this interplay and provides a synthesis and critical discussion of findings. Nine of the 10 studies included here assessed nutrition-stress interactions and offspring neurodevelopmental or brain development outcomes. Despite significant heterogeneity in study design and methodology, two broad patterns of results emerge to suggest that the effects of prenatal stress on various aspects of brain development may be mitigated by 1) higher fat diets or increased intake and/or status of specific dietary fats and 2) higher dietary intake or supplementation of targeted nutrients. The limitations of these studies are discussed, and recommendations are provided for future research to expand on this important area of fetal programming of brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Lindsay
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; UC Irvine Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Claudia Buss
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; UC Irvine Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pathik D Wadhwa
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; UC Irvine Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; UC Irvine Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California; Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
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31
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Kostović I, Sedmak G, Judaš M. Neural histology and neurogenesis of the human fetal and infant brain. Neuroimage 2018; 188:743-773. [PMID: 30594683 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The human brain develops slowly and over a long period of time which lasts for almost three decades. This enables good spatio-temporal resolution of histogenetic and neurogenetic events as well as an appropriate and clinically relevant timing of these events. In order to successfully apply in vivo neuroimaging data, in analyzing both the normal brain development and the neurodevelopmental origin of major neurological and mental disorders, it is important to correlate these neuroimaging data with the existing data on morphogenetic, histogenetic and neurogenetic events. Furthermore, when performing such correlation, the genetic, genomic, and molecular biology data on phenotypic specification of developing brain regions, areas and neurons should also be included. In this review, we focus on early developmental periods (form 8 postconceptional weeks to the second postnatal year) and describe the microstructural organization and neural circuitry elements of the fetal and early postnatal human cerebrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Kostović
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Šalata 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - G Sedmak
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Šalata 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - M Judaš
- University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Šalata 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
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32
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Leviton A, Allred EN, Joseph RM, O’Shea TM, Majzoub J, Kuban KC. Behavioural dysfunctions of 10-year-old children born extremely preterm associated with corticotropin-releasing hormone expression in the placenta. Acta Paediatr 2018; 107:1932-1936. [PMID: 29992644 PMCID: PMC6179924 DOI: 10.1111/apa.14494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM To evaluate the relationship between corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression in the placenta and the risk of school-related dysfunctions at the age of 10 years among children born extremely preterm (EP). METHODS Corticotropin-releasing hormone expression was measured in the placenta of 761 EP children, who had the following assessments at the age of 10 years: Differential Ability Scales, Oral and Written Language Scales, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III, NEPSY-II and the Child Symptom Inventory-4. We evaluated whether lowest and highest quartiles of CRH mRNA were associated with undesirable scores on these assessments. With 272 evaluations, we would expect 14 to be significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS Only 16 associations were statistically significant. On the other hand, seven of these were social limitations among girls whose placenta CRH mRNA was in the top quartile. Adjusting for delivery indication or restricting the sample to one delivery indication group resulted in few differences. CONCLUSION Overall, placenta CRH mRNA concentrations in the top or bottom quartiles were not associated with increased risks of dysfunctions 10 years later. Girls whose placenta CRH expression was in the top quartile, however, were at increased risk of seven indicators/correlates of social limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Leviton
- Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
| | | | | | - T. Michael O’Shea
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joseph Majzoub
- Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
| | - Karl C.K. Kuban
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Medical Center, Boston MA, USA
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33
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To evaluate the degree to which recent studies provide evidence that the effects of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) on child health outcomes vary depending on the child's biological sex. In this review, we used a broad definition of stress, including negative life events, psychological stress, and established stress biomarkers. We identified 50 peer-reviewed articles (published January 2015-December 2017) meeting the inclusion criteria. RECENT FINDINGS Most articles (k = 35) found evidence of either sex-specific associations (significant in one sex but not the other) or significant PNMSxstress interactions for at least one child health outcome. Evidence for sex-dependent effects was strongest in the group of studies evaluating child neural/nervous system development and temperament as outcomes. There is sufficient evidence of sex-dependent associations to recommend that researchers always consider the potential role of child sex in PNMS programming studies and report descriptive statistics for study outcomes stratified by child biological sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Sutherland
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Pl, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Steven M Brunwasser
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, T-1218 Medical Center North, 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37232-2650, USA.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161 21st Avenue, South, B-1118 MCN, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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34
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Kim DJ, Schnakenberg Martin AM, Shin YW, Jo HJ, Cheng H, Newman SD, Sporns O, Hetrick WP, Calkins E, O'Donnell BF. Aberrant structural-functional coupling in adult cannabis users. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:252-261. [PMID: 30203892 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular studies indicate that endocannabinoid type-1 retrograde signaling plays a major role in synaptic plasticity. Disruption of these processes by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) could produce alterations either in structural and functional brain connectivity or in their association in cannabis (CB) users. Graph theoretic structural and functional networks were generated with diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional imaging in 37 current CB users and 31 healthy non-users. The primary outcome measures were coupling between structural and functional connectivity, global network characteristics, association between the coupling and network properties, and measures of rich-club organization. Structural-functional (SC-FC) coupling was globally preserved showing a positive association in current CB users. However, the users had disrupted associations between SC-FC coupling and network topological characteristics, most perturbed for shorter connections implying region-specific disruption by CB use. Rich-club analysis revealed impaired SC-FC coupling in the hippocampus and caudate of users. This study provides evidence of the abnormal SC-FC association in CB users. The effect was predominant in shorter connections of the brain network, suggesting that the impact of CB use or predispositional factors may be most apparent in local interconnections. Notably, the hippocampus and caudate specifically showed aberrant structural and functional coupling. These structures have high CB1 receptor density and may also be associated with changes in learning and habit formation that occur with chronic cannabis use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae-Jin Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | | | - Yong-Wook Shin
- Department of Psychiatry, Ulsan University School of Medicine, ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hang Joon Jo
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Hu Cheng
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.,Imaging Research Facility, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Sharlene D Newman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.,Imaging Research Facility, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Olaf Sporns
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.,Indiana University Network Science Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - William P Hetrick
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Eli Calkins
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Brian F O'Donnell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
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35
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Verriotis M, Jones L, Whitehead K, Laudiano-Dray M, Panayotidis I, Patel H, Meek J, Fabrizi L, Fitzgerald M. The distribution of pain activity across the human neonatal brain is sex dependent. Neuroimage 2018; 178:69-77. [PMID: 29763673 PMCID: PMC6062722 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In adults, there are differences between male and female structural and functional brain connectivity, specifically for those regions involved in pain processing. This may partly explain the observed sex differences in pain sensitivity, tolerance, and inhibitory control, and in the development of chronic pain. However, it is not known if these differences exist from birth. Cortical activity in response to a painful stimulus can be observed in the human neonatal brain, but this nociceptive activity continues to develop in the postnatal period and is qualitatively different from that of adults, partly due to the considerable cortical maturation during this time. This research aimed to investigate the effects of sex and prematurity on the magnitude and spatial distribution pattern of the long-latency nociceptive event-related potential (nERP) using electroencephalography (EEG). We measured the cortical response time-locked to a clinically required heel lance in 81 neonates born between 29 and 42 weeks gestational age (median postnatal age 4 days). The results show that heel lance results in a spatially widespread nERP response in the majority of newborns. Importantly, a widespread pattern is significantly more likely to occur in females, irrespective of gestational age at birth. This effect is not observed for the short latency somatosensory waveform in the same infants, indicating that it is selective for the nociceptive component of the response. These results suggest the early onset of a greater anatomical and functional connectivity reported in the adult female brain, and indicate the presence of pain-related sex differences from birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Verriotis
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Kimberley Whitehead
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Laudiano-Dray
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Ismini Panayotidis
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Hemani Patel
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Judith Meek
- Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Obstetric Wing, University College London Hospitals, London, WC1E6DB, United Kingdom
| | - Lorenzo Fabrizi
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Fitzgerald
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E6BT, United Kingdom.
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36
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Associations between maternal prenatal cortisol and fetal growth are specific to infant sex: findings from the Wirral Child Health and Development Study. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2018; 9:425-431. [PMID: 29631648 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174418000181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent findings highlight that there are prenatal risks for affective disorders that are mediated by glucocorticoid mechanisms, and may be specific to females. There is also evidence of sex differences in prenatal programming mechanisms and developmental psychopathology, whereby effects are in opposite directions in males and females. As birth weight is a risk for affective disorders, we sought to investigate whether maternal prenatal cortisol may have sex-specific effects on fetal growth. Participants were 241 mothers selected from the Wirral Child Health and Development Study (WCHADS) cohort (n=1233) using a psychosocial risk stratifier, so that responses could be weighted back to the general population. Mothers provided saliva samples, which were assayed for cortisol, at home over 2 days at 32 weeks gestation (on waking, 30-min post-waking and during the evening). Measures of infant birth weight (corrected for gestational age) were taken from hospital records. General population estimates of associations between variables were obtained using inverse probability weights. Maternal log of the area under the curve cortisol predicted infant birth weight in a sex-dependent manner (interaction term P=0.029). There was a positive and statistically significant association between prenatal cortisol in males, and a negative association in females that was not statistically significant. A sex interaction in the same direction was evident when using the waking (P=0.015), and 30-min post-waking (P=0.013) cortisol, but not the evening measure. There was no interaction between prenatal cortisol and sex to predict gestational age. Our findings add to an emerging literature that suggests that there may be sex-specific mechanisms that underpin fetal programming.
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Zhang P, Li G, Li H, Tan X, Cheng HYM. Environmental perturbation of the circadian clock during pregnancy leads to transgenerational mood disorder-like behaviors in mice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12641. [PMID: 28974783 PMCID: PMC5626699 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13067-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
It remains unknown whether chronic circadian disturbance (CCD) during pregnancy can lead to mood disorders in the offspring. Here we show that pregnant mice in the F0 generation that were exposed to CCD stress displayed depression-like behaviors, and produced offspring in the F1 and F2 generations that also exhibited mood-associated behavioral phenotypes despite the lack of direct stressful experiences during their postnatal or adult period. Prenatal CCD stress was correlated with the elevation of plasma corticosterone levels in F1 mice. Furthermore, the diurnal expression profiles of core circadian clock genes were disrupted in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of F1 mice. Proteomics analysis revealed that prenatal CCD stress resulted in distinct changes in protein expression in the hypothalamus of female F1 mice, in particular proteins that were associated with cellular activities, metabolism, development and diseases. Sex-specific differences in melanocortin 4 receptor expression were apparent in the CCD F1 generation. We conclude that maternal exposure to chronic circadian disturbance during pregnancy can lead to sex-specific mood disorders that persist for at least two filial generations. The underlying mechanisms may depend on transgenerational changes in plasma corticosterone levels, circadian pacemaking, and hypothalamic protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Medicine; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease of Sichuan Province; Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646009, China.
| | - Guang Li
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Medicine; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease of Sichuan Province; Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646009, China
| | - Hui Li
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Medicine; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease of Sichuan Province; Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646009, China
| | - XiaoQiu Tan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Medicine; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease of Sichuan Province; Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646009, China
| | - Hai-Ying Mary Cheng
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
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38
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Nolvi S, Pesonen H, Bridgett DJ, Korja R, Kataja EL, Karlsson H, Karlsson L. Infant Sex Moderates the Effects of Maternal Pre- and Postnatal Stress on Executive Functioning at 8 Months of Age. INFANCY 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/infa.12206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Saara Nolvi
- The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study; Turku Brain and Mind Center; Institute of Clinical Medicine; University of Turku
| | - Henri Pesonen
- The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study; Turku Brain and Mind Center; Institute of Clinical Medicine; University of Turku
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics; University of Turku
| | | | - Riikka Korja
- The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study; Turku Brain and Mind Center; Institute of Clinical Medicine; University of Turku
- Department of Psychology; University of Turku
| | - Eeva-Leena Kataja
- The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study; Turku Brain and Mind Center; Institute of Clinical Medicine; University of Turku
- Department of Psychology; University of Turku
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study; Turku Brain and Mind Center; Institute of Clinical Medicine; University of Turku
- Department of Psychiatry; Turku University Hospital and University of Turku
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study; Turku Brain and Mind Center; Institute of Clinical Medicine; University of Turku
- Department of Child Psychiatry; Turku University Hospital and University of Turku
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39
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Cao M, Huang H, He Y. Developmental Connectomics from Infancy through Early Childhood. Trends Neurosci 2017; 40:494-506. [PMID: 28684174 PMCID: PMC5975640 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The human brain undergoes rapid growth in both structure and function from infancy through early childhood, and this significantly influences cognitive and behavioral development in later life. A newly emerging research framework, developmental connectomics, provides unprecedented opportunities for exploring the developing brain through non-invasive mapping of structural and functional connectivity patterns. Within this framework, we review recent neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies investigating connectome development from 20 postmenstrual weeks to 5 years of age. Specifically, we highlight five fundamental principles of brain network development during the critical first years of life, emphasizing strengthened segregation/integration balance, a remarkable hierarchical order from primary to higher-order regions, unparalleled structural and functional maturations, substantial individual variability, and high vulnerability to risk factors and developmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Cao
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yong He
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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40
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Davis EP, Head K, Buss C, Sandman CA. Prenatal maternal cortisol concentrations predict neurodevelopment in middle childhood. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 75:56-63. [PMID: 27771566 PMCID: PMC5505265 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (cortisol in humans) are the end product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and are proposed as a key mechanism for programming fetal brain development. The present prospective longitudinal study evaluates the association between prenatal maternal cortisol concentrations and child neurodevelopment. Participants included a low risk sample of 91 mother-child pairs. Prenatal maternal plasma cortisol concentrations were measured at 19 and 31 gestational weeks. Brain development and cognitive functioning were assessed when children were 6-9 years of age. Structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired and cortical thickness was determined. Child cognitive functioning was evaluated using standardized measures (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV and Expressive Vocabulary Test, Second Edition). Higher maternal cortisol concentrations during the third trimester were associated with greater child cortical thickness primarily in frontal regions. No significant associations were observed between prenatal maternal cortisol concentrations and child cortical thinning. Elevated third trimester maternal cortisol additionally was associated with enhanced child cognitive performance. Findings in this normative sample of typically developing children suggest that elevated maternal cortisol during late gestation exert lasting benefits for brain development and cognitive functioning 6-9 years later. The benefits of fetal exposure to higher maternal cortisol during the third trimester for child neurodevelopment are consistent with the role cortisol plays in maturation of the human fetus. It is plausible that more extreme elevations in maternal cortisol concentrations late in gestation, as well as exposure to pharmacological levels of synthetic glucocorticoids, may have neurotoxic effects on the developing fetal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, 80210, United States; Women and Children's Health and Well-Being Project, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, 92868, United States.
| | - Kevin Head
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, 80210, United States
| | - Claudia Buss
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Curt A. Sandman
- Women and Children’s Health and Well-Being Project, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, 92868, United States
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