Life before birth: effects of cortisol on future cardiovascular and metabolic function*

Nathanielsz, Peter W.; Berghorn, Kathie A.; Derks, Jan; Giussani, Dino A.; Docherty, Cheryl C.; Unno, Nobuya; Davenport, A. P.; Kutzler, Michelle Anne; Koenen, Steven V.; Visser, Gerard H.A.; Nijland, Mark J.

doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2003.tb02529.x

Cited by 42 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…It is not surprising that consequences of exposure to pCRH vary with timing of exposure, because different biological systems mature at different rates and at different times during gestation. The systems that are most vulnerable to programming influences are those that are undergoing rapid developmental changes [Nathanielsz et al, 2003; Seckl and Meaney, 2004]. In general, it can be concluded that exposure to elevated concentrations of pCRH, either early or late in gestation, is associated with possible health risks that include immature nervous system development, preterm birth, neonatal immaturity and a more difficult infant temperament.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One key assumption of the programming hypothesis is that biological systems undergoing rapid developmental changes are especially vulnerable to organizing and disorganizing influences [Nathanielsz et al, 2003; Seckl and Meaney, 2004]. Elevations in stress-sensitive hormones, such as placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH), are believed to have the potential to ‘program’ the developmental trajectory of the fetus [Sirianni et al, 2005].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone during Early Pregnancy Are Associated with Precocious Maturation of the Human Fetus

et al. 2008

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Elevation in placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) during the last trimester of pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk for preterm delivery. Less is known about the consequences for the human fetus exposed to high levels of pCRH early in pregnancy. pCRH levels were measured in 138 pregnant women at least once at 15, 20 and 25 weeks of gestation. At 25 weeks of gestation, fetal heart rate (FHR) responses to a startling vibroacoustic stimulus (VAS) were recorded as an index of maturity. pCRH levels at 15 weeks of gestation, but at no later point, predicted FHR responses to the VAS. Fetuses exposed to the lowest concentrations of pCRH at 15 weeks of gestation exhibited a distinguishable response to the VAS, whereas fetuses exposed to higher levels of pCRH did not respond. The findings suggest that exposure to low levels of pCRH early in gestation may be optimal and associated with a response pattern indicating greater maturity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone during Early Pregnancy Are Associated with Precocious Maturation of the Human Fetus

et al. 2008

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“…There are several examples in the animal and human literature to suggest many prenatal insults produce outcome-specific sexually dimorphic developmental consequences (33,60,(62)(63)(64). Mechanisms that have been discussed in this context include the presence of sex-specific placental adaptation to stress exposure (65) and the notion of increased susceptibility of the female brain to its milieu given the more rapid neurodevelopmental trajectory in females compared with males (66,67).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal cortisol over the course of pregnancy and subsequent child amygdala and hippocampus volumes and affective problems

Buß

Davis²,

Shahbaba³

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

521

496

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Stress-related variation in the intrauterine milieu may impact brain development and emergent function, with long-term implications in terms of susceptibility for affective disorders. Studies in animals suggest limbic regions in the developing brain are particularly sensitive to exposure to the stress hormone cortisol. However, the nature, magnitude, and time course of these effects have not yet been adequately characterized in humans. A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted in 65 normal, healthy mother-child dyads to examine the association of maternal cortisol in early, mid-, and late gestation with subsequent measures at approximately 7 y age of child amygdala and hippocampus volume and affective problems. After accounting for the effects of potential confounding pre-and postnatal factors, higher maternal cortisol levels in earlier but not later gestation was associated with a larger right amygdala volume in girls (a 1 SD increase in cortisol was associated with a 6.4% increase in right amygdala volume), but not in boys. Moreover, higher maternal cortisol levels in early gestation was associated with more affective problems in girls, and this association was mediated, in part, by amygdala volume. No association between maternal cortisol in pregnancy and child hippocampus volume was observed in either sex. The current findings represent, to the best of our knowledge, the first report linking maternal stress hormone levels in human pregnancy with subsequent child amygdala volume and affect. The results underscore the importance of the intrauterine environment and suggest the origins of neuropsychiatric disorders may have their foundations early in life.developmental programming | fetal origins | hypothalamus-pituitaryadrenal axis | depression | emotion regulation

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“…One key assumption of the programming hypothesis is that biological systems undergoing rapid developmental changes are especially vulnerable to organizing and disorganizing influences (Nathanielsz et al, 2003; Seckl & Meaney, 2004). Considering the extended pre- and postnatal developmental trajectory of the brain, it is apparent that early life experiences have the potential to sculpt brain morphology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High pregnancy anxiety during mid-gestation is associated with decreased gray matter density in 6–9-year-old children

Buß

Davis

Muftuler

et al. 2010

Psychoneuroendocrinology

372

262

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Summary Because the brain undergoes dramatic changes during fetal development it is vulnerable to environmental insults. There is evidence that maternal stress and anxiety during pregnancy influences birth outcome but there are no studies that have evaluated the influence of stress during human pregnancy on brain morphology. In the current prospective longitudinal study we included 35 women for whom serial data on pregnancy anxiety was available at 19 (±0.83), 25 (±0.9) and 31 (±0.9) weeks gestation. When the offspring from the target pregnancy were between six to nine years of age, their neurodevelopmental stage was assessed by a structural MRI scan. With the application of voxel based morphometry, we found regional reductions in gray matter density in association with pregnancy anxiety after controlling for total gray matter volume, age, gestational age at birth, handedness and postpartum perceived stress. Specifically, independent of postnatal stress, pregnancy anxiety at 19 weeks gestation was associated with gray matter volume reductions in the prefrontal cortex, the premotor cortex, the medial temporal lobe, the lateral temporal cortex, the postcentral gyrus as well as the cerebellum extending to the middle occipital gyrus and the fusiform gyrus. High pregnancy anxiety at 25 and 31 weeks gestation was not significantly associated with local reductions in gray matter volume. This is the first prospective study to show that a specific temporal pattern of pregnancy anxiety is related to specific changes in brain morphology. Altered gray matter volume in brain regions affected by prenatal maternal anxiety may render the developing individual more vulnerable to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders as well as cognitive and intellectual impairment.

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Life before birth: effects of cortisol on future cardiovascular and metabolic function*

Cited by 42 publications

References 14 publications

Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone during Early Pregnancy Are Associated with Precocious Maturation of the Human Fetus

Low Levels of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone during Early Pregnancy Are Associated with Precocious Maturation of the Human Fetus

Maternal cortisol over the course of pregnancy and subsequent child amygdala and hippocampus volumes and affective problems

High pregnancy anxiety during mid-gestation is associated with decreased gray matter density in 6–9-year-old children

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