Maternal Distress and Offspring Neurodevelopment: Challenges and Opportunities for Pre-clinical Research Models

Fitzgerald, Eamon; Parent, Carine; Kee, Michelle Z. L.; Meaney, Michael J.

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.635304

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 252 publications

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“…The negative effect of persistently high levels of glucocorticoid during pregnancy was found both in animal models, where it induces anxiety-like behaviors [ 40 , 41 ], and in in vitro models, where it is associated with a reduction in proliferation of neural progenitor cells [ 42 ] or a specific expression of genes associated with high vulnerability to psychiatric disorders [ 43 ]. The implications of other biological pathways, such as changes in placenta function and inflammatory or epigenetic mechanisms, have been widely discussed elsewhere (for a review, see Fitzgerald, Parent, Kee and Meaney [ 44 ]). In addition, neuroimaging studies conducted in infants of women with antenatal mental health problems showed differences in brain structure and connectivity of regions specifically involved in threat assessment and cognitive appraisal [ 45 , 46 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the Timing of Maternal Peripartum Depression on Infant Social and Emotional Development at 18 Months

Wendland

Benarous

Young

et al. 2022

JCM

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The study assessed how the timing of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms affects infant socio-emotional characteristics at age 18 months. The study was a longitudinal cohort study that included six assessment points from the third trimester of pregnancy up to age 18 months (±1 month). Assessment of mothers included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, while assessments of infant included the Infant Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) at 18 months. Mothers were categorized into one of the following groups: mothers who presented postnatal depression only (n = 19); mothers who presented both prenatal and postnatal depression (n = 14), and mothers who never showed perinatal depression symptoms (n = 38). Mothers who presented both prenatal and postnatal depression showed significantly higher levels of depressive score, reactivity to stress and level of anxiety trait compared to mothers of the two other groups. Infants of prenatally and postnatally depressed mothers had higher scores on the internalizing subscore of the ITSEA. The number of depression episodes during the study period was positively correlated with the externalizing and internalizing subscores of the ITSEA. These findings support the need to provide specific screening to identify women with prenatal depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the Timing of Maternal Peripartum Depression on Infant Social and Emotional Development at 18 Months

Wendland

Benarous

Young

et al. 2022

JCM

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“…We reviewed existing literature in this area of research, and shared our experience and thoughts on study design and potential technical challenges, with the hope that more research will be invested in this area to allow a better understanding of fetal reprogramming in response to placental insufficiency and other intrauterine environment. Indeed, not only is long-term health and disease of the offspring affected by placental insufficiency and FGR, studies have also found maternal distress, prepregnancy health, and other pregnancy complications to affect offspring well-being [58]. We believe that in the study of the dynamics of transcriptional regulation in fetal reprogramming, combining cffRNA and high-throughput sequencing serves as the best approach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Fetal Reprogramming for Biomarker Development in the Era of High-Throughput Sequencing

Chou

Newton

Wang³

2021

Genes

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Gestational hypertensive disorders continue to threaten the well-being of pregnant women and their offspring. The only current definitive treatment for gestational hypertensive disorders is delivery of the fetus. The optimal timing of delivery remains controversial. Currently, the available clinical tools do not allow for assessment of fetal stress in its early stages. Placental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction secondary to gestational hypertensive disorders have been shown to have long-term impacts on offspring health even into their adulthood, becoming one of the major focuses of research in the field of developmental origins of health and disease. Fetal reprogramming was introduced to describe the long-lasting effects of the toxic intrauterine environment on the growing fetus. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing, there have been major advances in research attempting to quantify fetal reprogramming. Moreover, genes that are found to be differentially expressed as a result of fetal reprogramming show promise in the development of transcriptional biomarkers for clinical use in detecting fetal response to placental insufficiency. In this review, we will review key pathophysiology in the development of placental insufficiency, existing literature on high-throughput sequencing in the study of fetal reprogramming, and considerations regarding research design from our own experience.

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“…However, persistent anxiety is more concerning and associated with adverse effects for maternal mental health and birth outcome 3 , such as increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, birth intervention, and postnatal depression 2,[4][5][6][7][8][9] . The consequences of maternal anxiety extend far beyond pregnancy and birth, with adverse psychosocial outcomes in the offspring and increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems in children [10][11][12] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring social complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal anxiety: A mixed-methods observational cohort study

Anderson¹,

Pyart²,

Epstein³

et al. 2022

Eur J Midwifery

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INTRODUCTIONThe aim of this mixed-methods, small-scale observational cohort study was to examine if anxiety in pregnant women increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the subsequent impact on birth outcomes and psychological well-being. This research was conducted across two hospital sites in North London, with participation from 194 pregnant women. METHODS The GAD-7 questionnaire assessed for mild, moderate and high anxiety at one time point during the antenatal period and was repeated 6 weeks postnatally. Women with moderate to high scores on the GAD-7 were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The primary outcome measure was assessment of antenatal and postnatal anxiety. Secondary outcome measures assessed if women with moderate/high GAD-7 scores were more likely to develop a mental health condition during pregnancy, or up to 6 weeks postnatally, and if risk of preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) and instrumental birth or cesarean section increased. RESULTS Pearson's correlation indicated a positive and significant correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased self-reported antenatal GAD-7 anxiety scores (r=0.47, n=194, p<0.001). GAD-7 scores were higher during pregnancy compared to the postnatal period [t(193)=4.63; p=0.001; 95% CI: 0.87-2.16]. Logistic regression did not show an increased likelihood of preterm birth [χ²(1, n=184)=0.999; p=0.971] or instrumental/ cesarean section birth in women who scored moderately to highly on the antenatal GAD-7 [χ²(1, n=184)=2.73; p=0.165]. Qualitative analysis was carried out within a social constructionist framework and identified the following themes: anxiety, maternity care, social impact, and coping. CONCLUSIONS Pregnant women self-reported an increase in antenatal anxiety during July 2020 to April 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moderate to high anxiety scores were not found to increase the likelihood of preterm birth and birth intervention or developing a mental health condition up to 6 weeks postnatally.

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Maternal Distress and Offspring Neurodevelopment: Challenges and Opportunities for Pre-clinical Research Models

Cited by 22 publications

References 252 publications

Impact of the Timing of Maternal Peripartum Depression on Infant Social and Emotional Development at 18 Months

Impact of the Timing of Maternal Peripartum Depression on Infant Social and Emotional Development at 18 Months

Quantifying Fetal Reprogramming for Biomarker Development in the Era of High-Throughput Sequencing

Exploring social complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal anxiety: A mixed-methods observational cohort study

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