Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Maternal mood scores in mid-pregnancy are related to aspects of neonatal immune function
Eugen Mattes1, Suzi McCarthy, Grace Gong
1Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Subiaco, P.O. Box 855, West Perth, WA 6872, Australia.
Background:
Although there are recognised associations between psychological and immune function, the effects of maternal depressive symptoms on fetal immune development have not been investigated.
Methods:
This study examined the relationship between maternal depression scores as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in the second trimester and measure of neonatal immune function measured in cord blood. This study was conducted in a cohort of women (n=83) who had received either fish oil containing 3.7 g/day n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3PUFA) or a placebo from 20 weeks gestation as part of a randomised controlled trial.
Results:
At 20 weeks gestation, prior to the intervention, 22% of women in the study manifested mild to moderate depressive symptoms (BDI > or =10). Neonates of these women had higher lymphoproliferative responses to a range of stimuli (including egg ovalbumin and cat allergen) compared with neonates of women with normal BDI scores (<10). These neonates also showed higher spontaneous cytokine production including (IL-6 and IL-10) and higher stimulated cytokine responses to both bacterial antigens and allergens. These patterns were evident after allowing for maternal age and education, parity, gestation, infant gender, delivery method and neonatal n-3/n-6 PUFA status.
Conclusion:
This exploratory study supports the notion that maternal mood in pregnancy may have the potential to influence fetal immune development. Further studies are needed to determine the significance of this.
Related Concept Videos
Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Development of Human Microbiota
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Gut-Brain Axis
Transcytosis of IgG
IgG molecules from a mother undergo transcytosis starting around 13 weeks of gestation. The amount of IgG transferred and entering the fetal blood circulation increases with...