Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b6zl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-09T13:22:42.890Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 6 - Long-Term Effects of Prenatal Maternal Stress and Mental Health

from Section II - Exposures Driving Long-Term DOHaD Effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2022

By
Matthias Schwab  and
Florian Rakers
Edited by
Lucilla Poston ,
Keith M. Godfrey ,
Peter D. Gluckman  and
Mark A. Hanson
Lucilla Poston
Affiliation:
King's College London
Keith M. Godfrey
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
Peter D. Gluckman
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Mark A. Hanson
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
Get access

Summary

Psychosocial stress as well as anxiety and depression, which are accompanied by dysregulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, are common during pregnancy and the postpartum period. They are major determinants of offspring health, ultimately leading to a risk for cognitive and behavioural problems. In addition, maternal stress and post-traumatic stress disorders perceived during the preconception period may affect offspring neuropsychiatric outcomes. Increased maternal cortisol levels epigenetically desensitize fetal glucocorticoid receptors, which induces hyperactivity of the offspring HPA axis. The risk for cognitive and behavioural problems is mediated by increased cortisol levels during later life. Additionally, cortisol-induced epigenetic changes in the expression of neurotrophic factors and genes involved in neuronal and synaptic development and neurotransmission play a key role in neuropsychiatric development. Other mediators comprise neuroinflammatory cytokines and changes in maternal and offspring gut microbiota. Important moderators of the risk for cognitive and behavioural problems in offspring are socioeconomic status of the family, paternal stress, post-natal maternal care and offspring gender.

Type
Chapter
Information
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , pp. 46 - 55
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Van den Bergh, BR, Mulder, E.J.Mennes, M., et al. Antenatal maternal anxiety and stress and the neurobehavioural development of the fetus and child: links and possible mechanisms. A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2005; 29(2): pp. 237–58.Google Scholar
Van den Bergh, BRH., van den Heuvel, M.I., Lahti, M.,et al. Prenatal developmental origins of behavior and mental health: the influence of maternal stress in pregnancy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2020. 117: pp. 26–64.Google Scholar
Loomans, EM, Van, Dijk, A.E., Vrijkotte, T.G.M., et al., Psychosocial stress during pregnancy is related to adverse birth outcomes: results from a large multi-ethnic community-based birth cohort. Eur J Public Health, 2012. 23(3): pp. 485–91.Google Scholar
Melville, JL, Gavin, A., Guo, Y., et al., Depressive disorders during pregnancy: prevalence and risk factors in a large urban sample. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2010. 116(5): pp. 1064–70.Google Scholar
Stetler, C. and Miller, G.E., Depression and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation: a quantitative summary of four decades of research. Psychosom Med, 2011. 73(2): pp. 114–26.Google Scholar
Lima, S.A.M., El, Dib, R.P., Rodrigues, M.R.K., et al., Is the risk of low birth weight or preterm labor greater when maternal stress is experienced during pregnancy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. PLoS One, 2018. 13(7): p. e0200594.Google Scholar
Tarabulsy, G.M., Pearson, J., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.P., et al., Meta-analytic findings of the relation between maternal prenatal stress and anxiety and child cognitive outcome. J Dev Behav Pediatr, 2014. 35(1): pp. 38–43.Google Scholar
King, S., Dancause, K., Turcotte, ‐Tremblay, A.M., et al., Using natural disasters to study the effects of prenatal maternal stress on child health and development. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today, 2012. 96(4): pp. 273–88.Google Scholar
Laplante, D.P., Brunet, A., Schmitz, N., et al., Project Ice Storm: prenatal maternal stress affects cognitive and linguistic functioning in 5 1/2-year-old children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2008. 47(9): pp. 1063–72.Google Scholar
Lin, B., Crnic, K.A., Luecken, L.J., et al., Maternal prenatal stress and infant regulatory capacity in Mexican Americans. Infant Behav Dev, 2014. 37(4): pp. 571–82.Google Scholar
DiPietro, J.A., Novak, M.F., Costigan, K.A., et al., Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy in relation to child development at age two. Child Development, 2006. 77(3): pp. 573–87.Google Scholar
Glover, V., O’Connor, TG, and O’Donnell, K, Prenatal stress and the programming of the HPA axis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2010. 35(1): pp. 17–22.Google Scholar
Glover, V., Annual research review: prenatal stress and the origins of psychopathology: an evolutionary perspective. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2011. 52(4): pp. 356–67.Google Scholar
Winsper, C, Wolke, D, and Lereya, T., Prospective associations between prenatal adversities and borderline personality disorder at 11–12 years. Psychol Med, 2015. 45(5): pp. 1025–37.Google Scholar
Pearson, RM, Bornstein, M.H., Cordero, M., et al., Maternal perinatal mental health and offspring academic achievement at age 16: the mediating role of childhood executive function. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2016. 57(4): pp. 491–501.Google Scholar
Yildiz, P.D., Ayers, S, and Phillips, L, The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in pregnancy and after birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord, 2017. 208: pp. 634–45.Google Scholar
Cook, N., Ayers, S, and Horsch, A, Maternal posttraumatic stress disorder during the perinatal period and child outcomes: a systematic review. J Affect Disord, 2018. 225: pp. 18–31.Google Scholar
Miranda, J.K., de la Osa, N., Granero, R., et al., Maternal experiences of childhood abuse and intimate partner violence: psychopathology and functional impairment in clinical children and adolescents. Child Abuse Negl, 2011. 35(9): pp. 700–11.Google Scholar
Braga, L.L., Mello, M.F., and Fiks, J.P., Transgenerational transmission of trauma and resilience: a qualitative study with Brazilian offspring of Holocaust survivors. BMC Psychiatry, 2012. 12(1): p. 134.Google Scholar
Keenan, K., Hipwell, A.E., Class, Q.A., et al., Extending the developmental origins of disease model: impact of preconception stress exposure on offspring neurodevelopment. Dev Psychobiol, 2018. 60(7): pp. 753–64.Google Scholar
Hutchens, B.F. and Kearney, J., Risk factors for postpartum depression: an umbrella review. J Midwifery Womens Health, 2020. 65(1): pp. 96–108.Google Scholar
Brummelte, S. and Galea, L.A., Postpartum depression: etiology, treatment and consequences for maternal care. Horm Behav, 2016. 77: pp. 153–66.Google Scholar
Kingston, D., Tough, S., and Whitfield, H., Prenatal and postpartum maternal psychological distress and infant development: a systematic review. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev, 2012. 43(5): pp. 683–714.Google Scholar
Werner, E., Miller, M., Osborne, L., et al., Preventing postpartum depression: review and recommendations. Arch Womens Ment Health, 2015. 18(1): pp. 41–60.Google Scholar
Glover, V., O'Donnell, K.J., O'Connor, T.G., et al., Prenatal maternal stress, fetal programming, and mechanisms underlying later psychopathology-A global perspective. Dev Psychopathol, 2018. 30(3): pp. 843–54.Google Scholar
Franke, K., Van den Bergh, B.R., de Rooij, S.R., et al., Effects of maternal stress and nutrient restriction during gestation on offspring neuroanatomy in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2020. 117: pp. 5–25.Google Scholar
Khashan, A.S., Abel, K.M., McNamee, R., et al., Higher risk of offspring schizophrenia following antenatal maternal exposure to severe adverse life events. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2008. 65(2): pp. 146–52.Google Scholar
Class, Q.A., Abel, K.M., Khashan, A.S., et al., Offspring psychopathology following preconception, prenatal and postnatal maternal bereavement stress. Psychological Medicine, 2014. 44(1): pp. 71–84.Google Scholar
Goodman, J.H., Perinatal depression and infant mental health. Arch Psychiatr Nurs, 2019. 33(3): pp. 217–24.Google Scholar
Chan, J.C., Nugent, B.M., and Bale, T.L., Parental advisory: maternal and paternal stress can impact offspring neurodevelopment. Biol Psychiatry, 2018. 83(10): pp. 886–94.Google Scholar
Hicks, L.M., Swales, D.A., Garcia, S.E., et al., Does prenatal maternal distress contribute to sex differences in child psychopathology? Curr Psychiatry Rep, 2019. 21(2): p. 7.Google Scholar
Rakers, F., Rupprecht, S., Dreiling, M., et al., Transfer of maternal psychosocial stress to the fetus. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2020. 117: pp. 185–97.Google Scholar
Alcantara-Alonso, V., Panetta, P., De, Gortari, P., et al., Corticotropin-releasing hormone as the homeostatic rheostat of feto-maternal symbiosis and developmental programming in utero and neonatal life. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2017. 8: p. 161.Google Scholar
Troubat, R., Barone, P., Leman, S., et al., Neuroinflammation and depression: a review. Eur J Neurosci, 2021. 53(1): pp. 151–71.Google Scholar
Rudzki, L. and Maes, M., The Microbiota-Gut-Immune-Glia (MGIG) axis in major depression. Mol Neurobiol, 2020. 57(10): pp. 4269–95.Google Scholar
Rutsch, A., Kantsjo, J.B., and Ronchi, F., The Gut-Brain Axis: how microbiota and host inflammasome influence brain physiology and pathology. Front Immunol, 2020. 11: p. 604179.Google Scholar
Jasarevic, E., Howard, C.D., Morrison, K., et al., The maternal vaginal microbiome partially mediates the effects of prenatal stress on offspring gut and hypothalamus. Nat Neurosci, 2018. 21(8): pp. 1061–71.Google Scholar
Chong, C.Y.L., Bloomfield, F.H., and O’Sullivan, J.M., Factors affecting gastrointestinal microbiome development in neonates. Nutrients, 2018. 10(3).Google Scholar
Müller, J.J., Antonow, -Schlorke, I., Kroegel, N., et al., Cardiovascular effects of prenatal stress – Are there implications for cerebrovascular, cognitive and mental health outcome? Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2020. 117: pp. 78–97.Google Scholar
Cao-Lei, L., De, Rooij, S.R., King, S., et al., Prenatal stress and epigenetics. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2020. 117: pp. 198–210.Google Scholar
Rodgers, A.B. and Bale, T.L., Germ cell origins of posttraumatic stress disorder risk: the transgenerational impact of parental stress experience. Biol Psychiatry, 2015. 78(5): pp. 307–14.Google Scholar
Seckl, J.R., Nyirenda, M.J., Walker, B.R., et al., Glucocorticoids and fetal programming. Biochem Soc Trans, 1999. 27(2): pp. 74–8.Google Scholar
Braun, K., Bock, J., Wainstock, T., et al., Experience-induced transgenerational (re-)programming of neuronal structure and functions: Impact of stress prior and during pregnancy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2020. 117: pp. 281–96.Google Scholar
Baker, J., Liu, J.P., Robertson, E.J., et al., Role of insulin-like growth factors in embryonic and postnatal growth. Cell, 1993. 75(1): pp. 73–82.Google Scholar
Numakawa, T., Odaka, H., and Adachi, N., Actions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glucocorticoid stress in neurogenesis. Int J Mol Sci, 2017. 18(11): p. 2312.Google Scholar
Kundakovic, M. and Jaric, I., The epigenetic link between prenatal adverse environments and neurodevelopmental disorders. Genes (Basel), 2017. 8(3): p. 104.Google Scholar
Liu, J., Speder, P., and Brand, A.H., Control of brain development and homeostasis by local and systemic insulin signalling. Diabetes Obes Metab, 2014. 16 Suppl 1: pp. 16–20.Google Scholar
Basta-Kaim, A., Szczesny, E., Glombik, K., et al., Prenatal stress leads to changes in IGF-1 binding proteins network in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of adult male rat. Neuroscience, 2014. 274: pp. 59–68.Google Scholar
Schepanski, S., Buss, C., Hanganu, -Opatz, I.L., et al., Prenatal immune and endocrine modulators of offspring’s brain development and cognitive functions later in life. Front Immunol, 2018. 9: p. 2186.Google Scholar
Kiss, D., Ambeskovic, M., Montina, T., et al., Stress transgenerationally programs metabolic pathways linked to altered mental health. Cell Mol Life Sci, 2016. 73(23): pp. 4547–57.Google Scholar
Bauer, S., Kerr, B.J., and Patterson, P.H., The neuropoietic cytokine family in development, plasticity, disease and injury. Nat Rev Neurosci, 2007. 8(3): pp. 221–32.Google Scholar
Stepanichev, M., Dygalo, N.N., Grigoryan, G., et al., Rodent models of depression: neurotrophic and neuroinflammatory biomarkers. Biomed Res Int, 2014. 2014: p. 932757.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×