Assessment of cognitive function across pregnancy using CANTAB: a longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Reproductive Endocrinology

Background:

• Pregnancy involves significant hormonal shifts, offering a unique model to study cognitive function changes.
• Existing research on pregnancy's cognitive effects is limited, particularly concerning specific executive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of pregnancy on cognitive functions, specifically spatial recognition memory (SRM).
• To compare cognitive performance between pregnant women and a non-pregnant control group.
• To explore the relationship between cognitive changes, hormonal fluctuations, and mental health during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• Administered four Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Test Battery (CANTAB) tests to 23 pregnant women across trimesters and postpartum.
• Compared CANTAB scores with 24 non-pregnant controls.
• Utilized the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for anxiety/depression assessment and the National Adult Reading Test (NART) for verbal intelligence.

Main Results:

• Pregnant women exhibited significantly lower Spatial Recognition Memory (SRM) scores during the second trimester and postpartum compared to controls (p≤0.004).
• A significant interaction effect showed an 11.7% decline in SRM performance for pregnant women from the first trimester onwards (p=0.005).
• Pregnant women reported increased anxiety and depression symptoms (EPDS), though this did not explain SRM deficits.

Conclusions:

• Pregnancy adversely affects Spatial Recognition Memory (SRM) performance.
• Executive functions beyond SRM appear unaffected by pregnancy.
• Hormonal changes and increased psychological distress during pregnancy do not directly account for the observed SRM decline.