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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

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Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in 3-month old infants with prenatal selective serotonin reuptake

Tim F Oberlander1, Ruth Grunau, Linda Mayes

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3V4. toberlander@cw.bc.ca

Early Human Development
|July 22, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) alters infant stress response and lowers evening cortisol. These effects suggest early programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system, influenced by maternal mood and caregiving.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Prenatal stress and SSRI exposure impact offspring HPA axis reactivity.
  • The combined effects on infant HPA activity remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate HPA axis basal levels and stress responsiveness in 3-month-old infants with prenatal SSRI exposure.
  • To understand the influence of feeding method and maternal mood on these responses.

Main Methods:

  • Compared salivary cortisol levels in infants exposed to SSRIs prenatally versus controls.
  • Assessed cortisol under basal and stress-challenge conditions (habituation task).
  • Controlled for feeding method and maternal mood (pre- and postnatal).

Main Results:

  • Prenatal SSRI exposure was associated with lower early evening basal cortisol levels.
  • Stress reactivity differences emerged when accounting for the moderating effect of feeding method.
  • No association found between postnatal SSRI exposure via breast milk and cortisol levels.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal SSRI exposure alters HPA stress response patterns and basal cortisol.
  • Feeding method moderates stress challenge HPA response differences.
  • Findings suggest early programming of the HPA system by antenatal/postnatal factors.
Abstract

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