Exposure to prenatal maternal distress and infant white matter neurodevelopment.
Dev Psychopathol
; 33(5): 1526-1538, 2021 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35586027
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.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Substância Branca
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Dev Psychopathol
Assunto da revista:
PSICOLOGIA
/
PSIQUIATRIA
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos