Brain Structural and Vascular Anatomy Is Altered in Offspring of Pre-Eclamptic Pregnancies: A Pilot Study

Pre-eclampsia is a serious clinical gestational disorder occurring in 3%-5% of all human pregnancies and characterized by endothelial dysfunction and vascular complications. Offspring born of pre-eclamptic pregnancies are reported to exhibit deficits in cognitive function, higher incidence of depression, and increased susceptibility to stroke. However, no brain imaging reports exist on these offspring. We aimed to assess brain structural and vascular anatomy in 7- to 10-year-old offspring of pre-eclamptic pregnancies compared with matched controls.

Offspring of pre-eclamptic pregnancies and matched controls (n = 10 per group) were recruited from an established longitudinal cohort examining the effects of pre-eclampsia. Children underwent MR imaging to identify brain structural and vascular anatomic differences. Maternal plasma samples collected at birth were assayed for angiogenic factors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Offspring of pre-eclamptic pregnancies exhibited enlarged brain regional volumes of the cerebellum, temporal lobe, brain stem, and right and left amygdalae. These offspring displayed reduced cerebral vessel radii in the occipital and parietal lobes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis revealed underexpression of the placental growth factor among the maternal plasma samples from women who experienced pre-eclampsia.

This study is the first to report brain structural and vascular anatomic alterations in the population of offspring of pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Brain structural alterations shared similarities with those seen in autism. Vascular alterations may have preceded these structural alterations. This pilot study requires further validation with a larger population to provide stronger estimates of brain structural and vascular outcomes among the offspring of pre-eclamptic pregnancies.