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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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[Perinatal stress in brain programming and pathogenesis of psychoneurological disorders]

L A Zakharova

    Izvestiia Akademii Nauk. Seriia Biologicheskaia
    |April 16, 2015
    PubMed

    Insights

    Early life stress, including infection and poor maternal behavior, significantly impacts neuroendocrine and immune system development in offspring. This can lead to long-term health issues and reproductive problems.

    Area of Science:

    • Neurobiology
    • Immunology
    • Developmental Biology

    Background:

    • Stress during early development poses risks to neuroendocrine and immune systems.
    • Maternal factors and environmental exposures can induce "immunological stress" in offspring.
    • The brain is a primary target for developmental stress stimuli.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To analyze the impact of stress stimuli on the development of neuroendocrine and immune systems.
    • To identify key risk factors contributing to developmental stress.
    • To understand the long-term consequences of early-life stress on offspring health.

    Main Methods:

    • Meta-analysis of existing studies on stress and offspring development.
    • Review of data concerning viral/bacterial infections, diet, and maternal behavior.
    • Examination of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system responses.

    Main Results:

    • "Immunological stress" from infections, diet, and maternal behavior are significant risk factors.
    • Continuous stress during critical developmental periods leads to HPA system hyperactivity.
    • Increased risk for psychoneurological, metabolic, immunological, and behavioral disorders observed.

    Conclusions:

    • Early-life stress significantly affects neuroendocrine and immune development, with the brain as a key target.
    • HPA axis hyperactivity resulting from stress increases susceptibility to various disorders and reproductive issues.
    • Physiological plasticity aids adaptation, but chronic stress poses lasting risks to offspring health.

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