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Prenatal maternal anxiety and children's brain structure and function: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies
Brianna Adamson1, Nicole Letourneau2, Catherine Lebel3
1Medical Sciences Graduate Program, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
Insights
Maternal prenatal anxiety is linked to changes in children's brain development, affecting frontal, temporal, and limbic areas. These neurodevelopmental alterations may explain behavioral issues in children exposed to high maternal anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Maternal anxiety disorders during pregnancy and postpartum are prevalent.
- These disorders are associated with increased behavioral problems and mental health risks in children.
- Understanding brain alterations linked to maternal anxiety can reveal mechanisms affecting child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review research on the association between prenatal maternal anxiety and children's brain structure and function.
- To synthesize findings from neuroimaging studies examining this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
- Inclusion of ten studies assessing children's brain structure and function via neuroimaging.
- Diverse neuroimaging techniques utilized, including electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Main Results:
- All ten reviewed articles found a significant association between antenatal maternal anxiety and child neurodevelopment.
- Studies reported variations in neuroimaging methodologies.
- Neuroimaging techniques included EEG, MEG, and MRI.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal maternal anxiety is associated with alterations in brain structure and function in children, particularly in frontal, temporal, and limbic regions.
- These brain abnormalities may contribute to behavioral outcomes in children.
- Further research integrating neuroimaging and behavioral data is needed to confirm these associations.
Background:
Maternal anxiety disorders are common during pregnancy and postpartum, and are associated with increased behaviour problems and risk of mental health difficulties in children. Understanding alterations in brain structure and function associated with maternal anxiety may help elucidate potential mechanisms via which high maternal anxiety could affect children.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review of extant research studying the associations between prenatal anxiety and children's brain structure and function, as assessed through neuroimaging. Data were gathered in accordance with the PRISMA review guidelines.
Results:
Ten articles were identified, and all found a significant association between antenatal maternal anxiety and child neurodevelopment. Studies vary considerably in their methods with five studies employing electroencephalography (EEG), one using magnetoencephalography (MEG), and the rest employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Limitations:
The heterogeneity of neuroimaging techniques undertaken by the reviewed studies precluded a meta-analysis from being performed. The applicability of this systematic review to clinical practice is also limited given that the studies examined children across a wide age range (neonates to 17 years).
Conclusions:
From early infancy to late adolescence, findings suggest alterations of brain structure and function in frontal, temporal, and limbic areas in children born to mothers who experienced prenatal anxiety. These brain abnormalities may underlie associations between prenatal anxiety and children's behaviour, though more research incorporating neuroimaging and behavioural data is necessary to determine this.
