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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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Parental Advisory: Maternal and Paternal Stress Can Impact Offspring Neurodevelopment

Jennifer C Chan1, Bridget M Nugent2, Tracy L Bale2

  • 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Biological Psychiatry
|December 5, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Parental stress before and during pregnancy can impact offspring brain development and increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Epigenetic changes in sperm and placenta are key mechanisms for this intergenerational transmission of stress effects.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Parental stress exposures are linked to offspring neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
  • Both maternal and paternal stress influence offspring brain development, with critical vulnerability during preconception and prenatal periods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence on the contribution of intergenerational parental stress to offspring neurodevelopment and disease risk.
  • To explore the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the transmission of parental stress effects.

Main Methods:

  • Review of human studies and animal models.
  • Examination of mechanistic pathways for intergenerational transmission.
  • Focus on epigenetic modifications in sperm and placental signaling.

Main Results:

  • Parental stress can alter offspring neurodevelopment and disease risk.
  • Intergenerational transmission involves epigenetic reprogramming, including DNA methylation and noncoding RNAs.
  • Placental signaling pathways (inflammatory, nutrient-sensing) are affected.

Conclusions:

  • Parental stress is a significant factor in offspring neurodevelopment and disease.
  • Epigenetic mechanisms are crucial for transmitting parental stress effects across generations.
  • Understanding these mechanisms can inform strategies for prevention and intervention.

Keywords:
EpigeneticsIntergenerational transmissionPTSDPlacentaSpermStress

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