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Prenatal stress alters early neurobehavior, stress reactivity and learning in non-human primates: a brief review
M L Schneider1, C F Moore, A D Roberts
1Department of Kinesiology, 21 75 Medical Science Center; 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1532, USA. schneider@education.wisc.edu
Insights
Prenatal stress in rhesus monkeys impacts neurobehavior and stress response. Early life stress leads to lasting deficits in attention, neuromotor skills, and learning performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Primatology
Background:
- Prenatal stress is a significant environmental factor impacting offspring development.
- Understanding the long-term effects of prenatal stress is crucial for developmental health.
- Rhesus monkeys serve as a valuable model for studying human prenatal development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of prenatal stress on neurobehavior, stress reactivity, and learning in rhesus monkeys.
- To examine the impact of maternal stress during specific pregnancy periods on offspring development.
- To assess developmental trajectories from infancy through adolescence.
Main Methods:
- Three prospective longitudinal studies were conducted.
- Pregnant rhesus monkeys were exposed to noise stressors or ACTH treatment.
- Offspring were monitored for neurobehavior, stress responses, and learning across development.
Main Results:
- Prenatally stressed monkeys displayed reduced attention and impaired neuromotor function in early life.
- Adolescent prenatally stressed monkeys showed hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation and behavioral disturbances during social separation.
- Learning impairments were observed in adolescent prenatally stressed monkeys compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal stress significantly alters neurodevelopmental trajectories in rhesus monkeys.
- Early life stress exposure leads to persistent deficits in cognitive and stress-related functions.
- These findings highlight the critical vulnerability of the developing brain to prenatal environmental challenges.
Abstract:
In this paper we review three prospective longitudinal studies from our laboratory examining the effects of prenatal stress on early neuro behavior, stress reactivity and learning performance in rhesus monkeys. Either a noise stressor or ACTH treatment was administered to pregnant monkeys during specific periods of pregnancy and offspring were examined repeatedly across development. In all three studies, the prenatally stressed monkeys showed reduced attention and impaired neuromotor functioning during the first month of life compared to controls from undisturbed pregnancies. When the monkeys were separated from their mothers or peers at 6-8 months of age, prenatally stressed monkeys exhibited more disturbance behavior and showed hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation. During adolescence, they exhibited impairments in learning, compared to controls.
