Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
The effect of prenatal maternal distress on offspring brain development: A systematic review
Sophie Mandl1, Johanna Alexopoulos2, Stephan Doering3
1Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Insights
Prenatal maternal distress impacts fetal brain development, causing structural and functional changes in key regions. These alterations may increase the risk of future neuropsychiatric conditions in offspring.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Maternal Health
Background:
- Prenatal maternal distress is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- Its specific effects on offspring brain development are not well understood.
- This review examines distress's impact on fetal and infant brain development up to 12 months.
Approach:
- Systematic review of studies published up to December 2023.
- Searched multiple databases (Central, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PSYNDEXplus).
- Included studies assessing maternal distress and offspring neuroimaging within the first year of life.
Key Points:
- 71 studies met inclusion criteria from 1516 retrieved.
- Maternal distress was associated with brain structure and function changes.
- Affected regions include the limbic system, prefrontal cortex, and insula.
Conclusions:
- In utero distress exposure alters brain regions rich in glucocorticoid receptors (hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex).
- These adaptive changes may elevate the risk for later neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Further research on psychological support for pregnant women is recommended.
Background:
Prenatal maternal distress can negatively affect pregnancy outcomes, yet its impact on the offspring's brain structure and function remains unclear. This systematic review summarizes the available literature on the relationship between prenatal maternal distress and brain development in fetuses and infants up to 12 months of age.
Methods:
We searched Central, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEXplus for studies published between database inception and December 2023. Studies were included if prenatal maternal anxiety, stress, and/or depression was assessed, neuroimaging was used to examine the offspring, and the offspring's brain was imaged within the first year of life. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-II.
Results:
Out of the 1516 studies retrieved, 71 met our inclusion criteria. Although the studies varied greatly in their methodology, the results generally pointed to structural and functional aberrations in the limbic system, prefrontal cortex, and insula in fetuses and infants prenatally exposed to maternal distress.
Conclusions:
The hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex have a high density of glucocorticoid receptors, which play a key role in adapting to stressors and maintaining stress-related homeostasis. We thus conclude that in utero exposure to maternal distress prompts these brain regions to adapt by undergoing structural and functional changes, with the consequence that these alterations increase the risk for developing a neuropsychiatric illness later on. Future research should investigate the effect of providing psychological support for pregnant women on the offspring's early brain development.
More Related Videos
06:39Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
04:20Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model
Published on: July 12, 2024
