Maternal Mood and Neuroendocrine Programming: Effects of Time of Exposure and Sex

Abstract

Adverse exposures that influence growth in prenatal and early postnatal periods are considered to influence vulnerability to chronic diseases via their effects on the neuroendocrine system. In humans, the assessment of the underlying mechanisms has been restricted. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of adverse early-life exposures, specifically maternal mood, on hypothlamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) responses to an acute physiological stressor. In addition, we conducted a preliminary examination into whether these effects varied by time of exposure and sex. One hundred and thity-nine individuals (mean age 15.12 years) were recruited from the ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) birth cohort. Participants underwent the CO(2) stress test and indices of the PNS, SNS and HPA axis were measured. Pre-existing data on demographic and psychosocial factors of the mothers during pregnancy (18 and 32 weeks) and postnatally (8 weeks and 8 months) were extracted, as were participants' clinical and demographic data at birth. Increases in both pre- and postnatal anxiety and depression were associated with greater SNS reactivity to the stressor and slower recovery, as well as blunted HPA axis responses. Programming effects on the SNS appeared to be restricted to male offspring only. No consistent relationships were evident for any of the measures of pre-stress function. We have found preliminary evidence that both pre- and postnatal maternal anxiety and depression have sustained programming effects on the SNS and HPA axis. Effects on the SNS were restricted to male offspring.

Is the Growth of the Fetus of a Non-Smoking Mother Influenced by the Smoking of Either Grandmother while Pregnant?

“…There is also evidence that there is a gender specific increase in DNA methylation in cord blood at the IGF2 gene in response to maternal prenatal smoking, with boys being more affected than girls [14]. Maternal prenatal anxiety results in boys (but not girls) with higher symptoms of hyperactivity [15], and increased sympathetic nervous system response to a stress test [16]. However it is worth noting that some claims of sex-specificity of associations have failed to replicate [17].…”

Perinatal programming of emotional brain circuits: an integrative view from systems to molecules

“…In contrast, severe trauma was strongly positively associated with corticotropin response to CRH challenge in men but not in women (DeSantis et al, 2011). Furthermore, programming effects of pre- and postnatal maternal mood on sympathetic nervous system reactivity in response to physiological stressors appear to be restricted to males (Vedhara et al, 2012). …”

Effects of Prenatal Stress on Fetal Neurodevelopment and Responses to Maternal Neurosteroid Treatment in Guinea Pigs

“…Some of the strongest associations in epidemiological studies include those relating to cognitive, behavioural and emotional development of offspring [1,2,3]. Maternal stress during pregnancy is associated with increased incidences of childhood behavioural problems in infancy and at school age [4,5,6,7,8,9] with male offspring showing higher rates of learning and memory deficits and hyperactivity disorders [10,11], particularly when the stress was experienced in late gestation [12,13]. Prenatal stress has also been associated with disorders in offspring stretching beyond childhood including increased incidences of neuropathologies such as depression and schizophrenia later in life [14,15,16].…”