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Hendrix CL, Srinivasan H, Feliciano I, Carré JM, Thomason ME. Fetal Hippocampal Connectivity Shows Dissociable Associations with Maternal Cortisol and Self-Reported Distress during Pregnancy. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:943. [PMID: 35888033 PMCID: PMC9316091 DOI: 10.3390/life12070943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress can shape long-term child neurodevelopment beginning in utero. One mechanism by which stress is transmitted from mothers to their offspring is via alterations in maternal cortisol, which can cross the placenta and bind to glucocorticoid receptor-rich regions in the fetal brain, such as the hippocampus. Although prior studies have demonstrated associations between maternal prenatal stress and cortisol levels with child brain development, we lack information about the extent to which these associations originate prior to birth and prior to confounding postnatal influences. Pregnant mothers (n = 77) completed questionnaires about current perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, provided three to four salivary cortisol samples, and completed a fetal resting-state functional MRI scan during their second or third trimester of pregnancy (mean gestational age = 32.8 weeks). Voxelwise seed-based connectivity analyses revealed that higher prenatal self-reported distress and higher maternal cortisol levels corresponded to dissociable differences in fetal hippocampal functional connectivity. Specifically, self-reported distress was correlated with increased positive functional coupling between the hippocampus and right posterior parietal association cortex, while higher maternal cortisol was associated with stronger positive hippocampal coupling with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and left medial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, the association between maternal distress, but not maternal cortisol, on fetal hippocampal connectivity was moderated by fetal sex. These results suggest that prenatal stress and peripheral cortisol levels may shape fetal hippocampal development through unique mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra L. Hendrix
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; (H.S.); (I.F.); (M.E.T.)
| | - Harini Srinivasan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; (H.S.); (I.F.); (M.E.T.)
| | - Integra Feliciano
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; (H.S.); (I.F.); (M.E.T.)
| | - Justin M. Carré
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada;
| | - Moriah E. Thomason
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; (H.S.); (I.F.); (M.E.T.)
- Department of Population Health, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
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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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Rahman KM, Camp ME, Prasad N, McNeel AK, Levy SE, Bartol FF, Bagnell CA. Age and Nursing Affect the Neonatal Porcine Uterine Transcriptome. Biol Reprod 2015; 94:46. [PMID: 26632611 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.115.136150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The lactocrine hypothesis for maternal programming of neonatal development was proposed to describe a mechanism through which milk-borne bioactive factors, delivered from mother to nursing offspring, could affect development of tissues, including the uterus. Porcine uterine development, initiated before birth, is completed postnatally. However, age- and lactocrine-sensitive elements of the neonatal porcine uterine developmental program are undefined. Here, effects of age and nursing on the uterine transcriptome for 48 h from birth (Postnatal Day [PND] = 0) were identified using RNA sequencing (RNAseq). Uterine tissues were obtained from neonatal gilts (n = 4 per group) within 1 h of birth and before feeding (PND 0), or 48 h after nursing ad libitum (PND 2N) or feeding a commercial milk replacer (PND 2R). RNAseq analysis revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with both age (PND 2N vs. PND 0; 3283 DEGs) and nursing on PND 2 (PND 2N vs PND 2R; 896 DEGs). Expression of selected uterine genes was validated using quantitative real-time PCR. Bioinformatic analyses revealed multiple biological processes enriched in response to both age and nursing, including cell adhesion, morphogenesis, and cell-cell signaling. Age-sensitive pathways also included estrogen receptor-alpha and hedgehog signaling cascades. Lactocrine-sensitive processes in nursed gilts included those involved in response to wounding, the plasminogen activator network and coagulation. Overall, RNAseq analysis revealed comprehensive age- and nursing-related transcriptomic differences in the neonatal porcine uterus and identified novel pathways and biological processes regulating uterine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Rahman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Clay Center, Nebraska Department of Animal Sciences, Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Meredith E Camp
- Department of Animal Sciences, Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Nripesh Prasad
- Genomic Services Laboratory, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama
| | - Anthony K McNeel
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Clay Center, Nebraska
| | - Shawn E Levy
- Genomic Services Laboratory, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama
| | - Frank F Bartol
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Cellular and Molecular Biosciences Program, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Carol A Bagnell
- Department of Animal Sciences, Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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Zijlmans MA, Riksen-Walraven JM, de Weerth C. Associations between maternal prenatal cortisol concentrations and child outcomes: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 53:1-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2014] [Revised: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Sable P, Dangat K, Kale A, Joshi S. Altered brain neurotrophins at birth: consequence of imbalance in maternal folic acid and vitamin B12 metabolism. Neuroscience 2011; 190:127-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2011] [Revised: 04/06/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Expression patterns of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica) brain suggest a relationship between stress hormones and song-system development. Neuroscience 2011; 194:72-83. [PMID: 21851851 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.07.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2011] [Revised: 07/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/29/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Much evidence suggests that song traits function as an honest signal of male quality during mate choice in songbirds. Because songbirds learn vocalizations during the juvenile stage, development of the song system and song traits is affected by stressful conditions. However, it remains unknown how stressful conditions affect later song traits during development. To explore the relationship between glucocorticoids and song-system development, we performed in situ hybridization analysis of the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in juvenile and adult brains. The glucocorticoid receptor showed weak expression in song nuclei and strong expression in the hypothalamus, whereas the mineralocorticoid receptor showed strong song-nuclei-related expression. Thus, it appears that glucocorticoids are involved in song development directly by binding to receptors in song nuclei or indirectly by regulating sex hormones through hypothalamic hormones.
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Davis EP, Sandman CA. The timing of prenatal exposure to maternal cortisol and psychosocial stress is associated with human infant cognitive development. Child Dev 2010; 81:131-48. [PMID: 20331658 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01385.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 456] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The consequences of prenatal maternal stress for development were examined in 125 full-term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age. Maternal cortisol and psychological state were evaluated 5 times during pregnancy. Exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months. Elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation, however, were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months. Elevated levels of maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety early in pregnancy were independently associated with lower 12-month mental development scores. These data suggest that maternal cortisol and pregnancy-specific anxiety have programming influences on the developing fetus.
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Cory-Slechta DA, Stern S, Weston D, Allen JL, Liu S. Enhanced learning deficits in female rats following lifetime pb exposure combined with prenatal stress. Toxicol Sci 2010; 117:427-38. [PMID: 20639260 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfq221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pb (lead) exposure and stress are co-occurring risk factors (particularly in low socioeconomic communities) that also act on common biological substrates and produce common adverse outcomes, including cognitive impairments. This study sought to determine whether lifetime Pb exposure combined with prenatal stress would enhance the cognitive deficits independently associated with each of these risk factors and to explore associated mechanisms of any observed impairments. Learning was evaluated using a multiple schedule of repeated learning and performance in female rats subjected to lifetime Pb exposure (0 or 50 ppm Pb in drinking water beginning in dams 2 months prior to breeding; blood Pb levels ∼10 μg/dl), to prenatal restraint stress on gestational days 16 and 17, or to both. Blood Pb, corticosterone levels, brain monoamines, and hippocampal nerve growth factor levels were also measured. Sequence-specific learning deficits produced by Pb, particularly the number of responses to correctly learn response sequences, were further enhanced by stress, whereas performance measures were unimpaired. Statistical analyses indicated significant relationships among corticosterone levels, frontal cortex dopamine (DA), nucleus accumbens dopamine turnover, and total responses required to learn sequences. This study demonstrates that Pb and stress can act together to produce selective and highly condition-dependent deficits in learning in female rats that may be related to glucocorticoid-mediated interactions with mesocorticolimbic regions of brain. These findings also underscore the critical need to evaluate toxicants in the context of other risk factors pertinent to human diseases and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA.
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Brummelte S, Galea LAM. Depression during pregnancy and postpartum: contribution of stress and ovarian hormones. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2010; 34:766-76. [PMID: 19751794 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2009] [Revised: 08/28/2009] [Accepted: 09/02/2009] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Depression is the most common psychiatric disease among women, exhibiting a prevalence which is 2-3x higher than in men. The postpartum period is considered the time of greatest risk for women to develop major depression and postpartum depression affects approximately 15% of women. A dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the most prominent endocrine change seen in depression and normalization of the HPA axis is a major target of recent therapies. Females exhibit different stress sensitivities than males which might contribute to their increased vulnerability for depression. Maternal stress or depression during pregnancy and/or postpartum is particularly concerning as early developmental influences can affect the maturation of the offspring as well as the mental health of the mother. Despite the urgent need for more information on depression in females, especially during pregnancy and postpartum, most animal models of depression have utilized only males. Given the sex differences in incidence of depression and treatment, it is vitally important to create or validate animal models of depression in females. This review will focus on the association between stress, glucocorticoids and depression in humans, with a special focus on depression in women during pregnancy and postpartum and on animal models of postpartum depression and the consequences for the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Brummelte
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
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He WB, Zhao M, Machida T, Chen NH. Effect of corticosterone on developing hippocampus: Short-term and long-term outcomes. Hippocampus 2009; 19:338-49. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Lehmann K, Rodriguez EG, Kratz O, Moll GH, Dawirs RR, Teuchert-Noodt G. Early preweaning methamphetamine and postweaning rearing conditions interfere with the development of peripheral stress parameters and neural growth factors in gerbils. Int J Neurosci 2007; 117:1621-38. [PMID: 17917931 DOI: 10.1080/00207450600934937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Adrenal steroid hormones and neuronal growth factors are two interacting systemic factors that mediate the environment's influence on the brain's structure and function. In order to further elucidate their role and relationship in the effects of early stressful experience and isolated rearing (IR), this study measured blood corticosterone titres and relative adrenal weights and assessed nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations in brain regions of both hemispheres of young adult Mongolian gerbils injected on postnatal day 14 with a single high dose of methamphetamine (MA) or saline and raised after weaning either in an enriched or an impoverished environment. Irrespective of MA challenge, IR decreased corticosterone titres to about half, but increased relative adrenal weights. BDNF concentrations were decreased by IR in saline-injected animals in the left prefrontal and parietal cortices and right entorhinal and hippocampal cortices, and in the subcortical regions of both hemispheres. NGF concentrations were unaltered by IR in saline-injected animals, but increased in MA challenged animals in the entorhinal/hippocampal cortices and subcortical areas of both hemispheres. MA application induced shifts of the lateral asymmetry in NGF contents in prefrontal and entorhinal cortices. The results suggest that an early pharmacological traumatization can set a switch for further brain development, and that growth factor concentrations might possibly be influenced by peripheral stress hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konrad Lehmann
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld, Germany.
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Manni L, Di Fausto V, Chaldakov GN, Aloe L. Brain leptin and nerve growth factor are differently affected by stress in male and female mice: possible neuroendocrine and cardio-metabolic implications. Neurosci Lett 2007; 426:39-44. [PMID: 17881125 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2007] [Revised: 08/09/2007] [Accepted: 08/09/2007] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the variations in leptin and nerve growth factor (NGF) expression induced by immobilization stress in the brain of male and female adult CD1 mice. We found that 10 days of repeated immobilization stress induced an increase of hypothalamus and thalamus NGF that was more pronounced in female than in male mice. We also found that this type of stress induced an increase of leptin expression in the hypothalamus of female mice, and a decrease in the thalamus of both male and female mice, associated with enhanced expression of leptin receptors in the hypothalamus and thalamus, both in male and female mice. The observation that the brain leptin and NGF receptors were altered by stress suggests a functional role for these molecules in neuroendocrine and cardiovascular response to stress events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Manni
- Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine, Section of Neurobiology, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
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Roskoden T, Otten U, Schwegler H. Early postnatal corticosterone administration regulates neurotrophins and their receptors in septum and hippocampus of the rat. Exp Brain Res 2003; 154:183-91. [PMID: 14557907 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-003-1656-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2003] [Accepted: 07/30/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The principal glucocorticoid in rats, corticosterone, interacts with neurons in the limbic system and leads to morphological and behavioral changes. Putative corticosterone-triggered mediators are neurotrophins. In the present study we investigated the effects of early postnatal corticosterone treatment in rats on neurotrophic factors of the nerve growth factor (NGF) family and their receptors. Newborn rats were treated with corticosterone-containing polymers until postnatal day 12. The mRNA and protein levels of the neurotrophins of the NGF family (NGF, BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4/5) and their receptors (trkA, trkB, trkC and p75) were quantified in septum and hippocampus using RT-PCR. In the septal region, we found an unchanged mRNA expression after corticosterone treatment, whereas in the hippocampus there was a general increase in mRNA. Particularly, the gene expression of NGF, NT-3, and the high affinity receptors trkA, trkB and trkC increased significantly. Quantification of the neurotrophin protein levels using an ELISA revealed significant treatment effects for NGF and NT-4/5 in the hippocampus. The present study of corticosterone treatment in young rats demonstrates interactions of steroid hormones with neurotrophic factors and their receptors in the septo-hippocampal system during the first two postnatal weeks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Roskoden
- Institute of Anatomy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.
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