Prenatal Exposure to Famine and Brain Morphology in Schizophrenia

Pol, Hilleke E. Hulshoff; Hoek, Hans W.; Süsser, Ezra; Brown, Alan S.; Dingemans, Alexandra E.; Schnack, Hugo G.; Haren, Neeltje E.M. van; Ramos, L. M. P.; Wied, Christine C. Gispen‐de; Kahn, René S.

doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.157.7.1170

Cited by 186 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…However, beyond global sparing, numerous studies in various mammalian models depict a complex picture with NR-induced structural alterations, the nature and strength of which are region-specific (Morgane et al, 2002; Alamy and Bengelloun, 2012). Moreover, while some of these alterations recover on return to a normal diet after birth, growing evidence suggests that early nutritional stress leaves permanent traces responsible for abnormal cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric outcomes later in life (Hulshoff Pol et al, 2000; Rehn et al, 2004; Roza et al, 2008; De Rooij et al, 2010). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a brain under nutritional restriction: insights on sparing and plasticity from Drosophila studies

Lanet

Maurange

2014

Front. Physiol.

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While the growth of the developing brain is known to be well-protected compared to other organs in the face of nutrient restriction (NR), careful analysis has revealed a range of structural alterations and long-term neurological defects. Yet, despite intensive studies, little is known about the basic principles that govern brain development under nutrient deprivation. For over 20 years, Drosophila has proved to be a useful model for investigating how a functional nervous system develops from a restricted number of neural stem cells (NSCs). Recently, a few studies have started to uncover molecular mechanisms as well as region-specific adaptive strategies that preserve brain functionality and neuronal repertoire under NR, while modulating neuron numbers. Here, we review the developmental constraints that condition the response of the developing brain to NR. We then analyze the recent Drosophila work to highlight key principles that drive sparing and plasticity in different regions of the central nervous system (CNS). As simple animal models start to build a more integrated picture, understanding how the developing brain copes with NR could help in defining strategies to limit damage and improve brain recovery after birth.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a brain under nutritional restriction: insights on sparing and plasticity from Drosophila studies

Lanet

Maurange

2014

Front. Physiol.

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“…A common phenotype of these disorders is impaired cognitive function (Arnsten 2009; Douglas and Porter 2009) with impaired executive function being among the premorbid cognitive deficits preceding onset of these disorders (Kates 2010). Several classes of prenatal factors have been implicated as adversely affecting brain development including premature birth (Huppi et al 1998; Peterson et al 2000; Peterson et al 2003; Beauchamp et al 2008; Davis et al 2011a), exposure to obstetric risk conditions such as infection (Brown et al 2009; Sorensen et al 2009), maternal undernutrition (Hulshoff Pol et al 2000), and unhealthy maternal behaviors such as smoking, alcohol, or drug use (Sowell et al 2008; Lotfipour et al 2009; Thompson et al 2009). Little is known about the consequences of brain development of fetal exposure to prenatal maternal psychosocial stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety is associated with child executive function at 6–9 years age

Buß¹,

Davis²,

Hobel³

et al. 2011

Stress

251

168

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Because fetal brain development proceeds at an extremely rapid pace, early life experiences have the potential to alter the trajectory of neurodevelopment, which may increase susceptibility for developmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. There is evidence that prenatal maternal stress and anxiety, especially worries specifically related to being pregnant, influence neurodevelopmental outcomes. In the current prospective longitudinal study, we included 89 women for whom serial data were available for pregnancy-specific anxiety, state anxiety, and depression at 15, 19, 25, 31, and 37 weeks gestation. When the offspring from the target pregnancy were between 6 and 9 years of age, their executive function was assessed. High levels of mean maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety over the course of gestation were associated with lower inhibitory control in girls only and lower visuospatial working memory performance in boys and girls. Higher-state anxiety and depression also were associated with lower visuospatial working memory performance. However, neither state anxiety nor depression explained any additional variance after accounting for pregnancy-specific anxiety. The findings contribute to the literature supporting an association between pregnancy-specific anxiety and cognitive development and extend our knowledge about the persistence of this effect until middle childhood.

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“…The IGF2 locus plays a key role in development and growth (Delaval, Wagschal and Feil 2006) and defects in methylation at this locus are known to contribute to several imprinting-related disorders, such as Silver-Russell syndrome and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (Bartholdi et al 2009; Riccio et al 2009). Notably, brain weight in males is positively correlated with DNA methylation at IGF2 (Pidsley, Dempster and Mill 2010); and, in turn, low brain weight has been associated with schizophrenia (Harrison, Freemantle and Geddes 2003), including within the Dutch Hunger Winter cohort (Hulshoff Pol et al 2000). Together, these observations suggest that social exposures may influence DNA methylation in a manner salient to mental health; however, studies explicitly testing this hypothesis have, to our knowledge, yet to be reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epigenetic Signatures May Explain the Relationship between Socioeconomic Position and Risk of Mental Illness: Preliminary Findings from an Urban Community-Based Sample

Uddin

Galea

Chang

et al. 2013

Biodemography and Social Biology

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Low socioeconomic position (SEP) has previously been linked to a number of negative health indicators, including poor mental health. The biologic mechanisms linking SEP and mental health remain poorly understood. Recent work suggests that social exposures influence DNA methylation in a manner salient to mental health. We conducted a pilot investigation to assess whether SEP, measured as educational attainment, modifies the association between genomic methylation profiles and traumatic stress in a trauma-exposed sample. Results show that methylation × SEP interactions occur preferentially in genes pertaining to nervous system function, suggesting a plausible biologic pathway by which SEP may enhance sensitivity to stress, and, in turn, risk of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Prenatal Exposure to Famine and Brain Morphology in Schizophrenia

Cited by 186 publications

References 8 publications

Building a brain under nutritional restriction: insights on sparing and plasticity from Drosophila studies

Building a brain under nutritional restriction: insights on sparing and plasticity from Drosophila studies

Maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety is associated with child executive function at 6–9 years age

Epigenetic Signatures May Explain the Relationship between Socioeconomic Position and Risk of Mental Illness: Preliminary Findings from an Urban Community-Based Sample

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