Sex Differences in Neonatal Stress Reactivity

Davis, Maryann; Emory, Eugene K.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1995.tb00852.x

Cited by 57 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…While sex differences in cortisol reactivity have been reported for both neonates (Davis & Emory, 1995) and adults (Kirschbaum et al, 1992), our finding contrasts with previous reports in the literature of a lack of reported gender differences in cortisol levels in 6-month-old infants (Buss et al, 2003; Haley & Stansbury, 2003). While Haley and Stansbury (2003) reported lower heart rates in 5- and 6-month-old boys than girls, the direction consistent with lower cortisol, they found no gender differences in cortisol.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Cortisol reactivity, maternal sensitivity, and infant preference for mother's familiar face and rhyme in 6‐month‐old infants

Thompson

Trevathan

2009

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

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This study investigated how cortisol (stress) reactivity and mothers' behavioral sensitivity affect familiarity preferences in 6-month-old infants. Relations between sensitivity and stress were explored using saliva samples taken from mothers and infants before, and 20-min after, two preferential looking experiments. Photographs and voice recordings from infants' mothers were incorporated into standard visual preference tasks. Sensitivity was assessed by determining the degree of behavioral synchrony between mother and infant from a 10-min interaction period preceding the preferential looking experiments. Results showed that decreasing infant cortisol reactivity and greater maternal sensitivity were associated with familiarity preferences for mother's face stimuli. For the experiment with voice stimuli, a sex difference was obtained in the relationship between the directionality of cortisol reactivity and familiarity preferences. Results are related to a parallel study with 3-monthold infants (Thompson & Trevathan, 2008), and issues are discussed in terms of infants' developing emotional independence from mother. KeywordsCognitive; Infant; Social Interaction; Mothers; Quantitative Infants' ability to recognize caregivers' faces and voices is important for the development of attachment (Bowlby, 1969). Numerous studies have investigated the newborn infant's preferences for, and ability to discriminate, their mother's face and voice. For example, research has shown that newborn infants look for longer periods of time at their mother's face compared to a stranger's face (Bushnell, Sai, & Mullin, 1989;Pascalis et al., 1995;Walton, Bower, & Bower, 1992). In the auditory recognition domain, newborn infant's ability to recognize their mother's voice is a well-established finding (Spence & Freeman, 1996). Newborns can also discern the native tongue of their mother's voice (Mehler et al., 1988), and, at just 3 days of age, discriminate between unfamiliar, and familiar, story passages that were spoken by their mothers during the last trimester of prenatal development (e.g., DeCasper & Spence, 1986). At four months, event-related potential (ERP) studies show enhanced arousal and a clear memory template for mother's voice compared to an unfamiliar voice (Purhonen et al., 2005). By eight months, infants are able to preserve information about talker identity when exposed to the same talker over a 2-week time interval (Juscyzk, Hohne, Jusczyk & Redanz, 1993). Address correspondence to: Laura A. Thompson Department of Psychology MSC 3452/Box 30001 New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 Phone: 575-646-4024 Fax: 575-646-6212 Email: thompson@nmsu.edu. 1 To establish whether or not there was a difference in cortisol reactivity between those infants with usable looking time data and those without, two-tailed paired samples t-tests were conducted between log 10 T1 and T2 values for infants whose looking time data could not be analyzed, separately for the faces and rhymes experiments. As was the case in the larger sam...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Cortisol reactivity, maternal sensitivity, and infant preference for mother's familiar face and rhyme in 6‐month‐old infants

Thompson

Trevathan

2009

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

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“…In this sample of healthy African American neonates, obstetrical experiences were not associated with significant differences in HRV. Although there was a low rate of breast-feeding and a high rate of circumcision in this urban sample, we replicated previous studies that have shown that breast- versus bottle-feeding results in higher HRV (DiPietro et al, 1987) and that circumcision results in lower heart rate (Davis & Emory, 1995). In the final regression analysis, past maternal depression history, feeding method, and circumcision contributed to unique variance in neonatal HRV.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Neonatal physiological regulation is associated with perinatal factors: A study of neonates born to healthy African American women living in poverty

Jacob

Byrne

Keenan

2009

Infant Mental Health Journal

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Maternal mental health and prenatal stress are linked with neurobehavioral differences in the offspring. The majority of studies documenting this effect have been conducted using either predominantly European American infants or minority infants exposed to teratogens in utero. In this study, we focus on healthy African American women from low-income environments to investigate the earliest individual differences in biobehavioral regulation, including resting heart rate and variability (HRV). In 87 neonates, HRV was significantly lower in those born to mothers reporting past major depressive disorder (p = .01). The number of maternal life stressors also was associated with lower neonatal HRV (p = .03). Obstetrical complications were not associated with significant differences, but breast-versus bottle-feeding in the first few days of life was related to higher HRV (p = .04). Early variation in physiological regulation may be linked to subsequent individual differences in response to stress. Thus, identifying the earliest point in development when such differences can be reliably measured may result in opportunities for prevention of later deficits in regulating response to stress. RESUMEN: La salud mental maternal y la tensión prenatal están vinculadas con las diferencias de la neuro conducta en el niño. La mayoría de los estudios que documentan este efecto se han llevado a cabo usando ya sea infante predominantemente europeo-americanos o infantes que pertenecen a grupos minoritarios expuestos a teratógenos en elútero. En este estudio, nos enfocamos en mujeres afroamericanas saludables provenientes de ambientes de bajos recursos económicos para investigar las más tempranas diferencias individuales en la regulación de la bioconducta, incluyendo elíndice y la variabilidad de los latidos del corazón en descanso (HRV). En 87 recién nacidos, el HRV fue significativamente más bajo en aquellos que eran hijos de madres que habían reportado anteriores fuertes trastornos depresivos (p = 0.01). El número de factores estresantes en la vida de las madres también se asoció con el más bajo HRV neonatal (p = .03). Las complicaciones obstétricas no se asociaron con diferencias significativas, pero la alimentación por biberón versus la alimentación de pecho en los primeros pocos días de vida se relacionó con el más alto HRV (p = 0.04). La variación temprana en la regulación fisiológica puede ser vinculada a las subsecuentes diferencias individuales en respuesta a la tensión. Por lo tanto, identificar el punto más temprano en el desarrollo cuando tales diferencias pueden ser medidas en forma confiada puede resultar en oportunidades para la prevención de déficits posteriores en la regulación de la respuesta al estrés.RÉSUMÉ: La santé mentale maternelle et le stress prénatal sont liésà des différences neurocomportementales chez les enfants. La majorité desétudes qui documentent cet effet ontété faites en utilisant soit des bébés américains blancs (donc d'oritine européenne) ou des bébés issus de minorités ethniques exposésà...

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“…Although the relationship between gonadal hormones and the HPA axis in adults is complex and not clearly understood, a few studies have also reported sex differences in basal cortisol levels during childhood, prior to the pubertal increases in gonadal hormones. Thus, boys have higher basal cortisol levels than girls in some studies (Davis & Emory, 1995; Elmlinger, et al, 2002; Ouellet-Morin, et al, 2010); but opposite findings have also been reported (Essex, et al, 2002; Koupil, et al, 2005; Sondeijker, et al, 2007). The differing results may reflect differences in the age at which boys and girls were sampled.…”

mentioning

confidence: 81%

Neonatal amygdala lesions alter basal cortisol levels in infant rhesus monkeys

Raper

Bachevalier

Wallen

et al. 2013

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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The amygdala is mostly thought to exert an excitatory influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, although its role regulating HPA basal tone is less clear, particularly during primate development. The current study examined the effects of neonatal amygdala lesions on basal HPA function and the postnatal testosterone (T) surge of rhesus monkeys reared with their mothers in large outdoor social groups. An early morning basal blood sample was collected at 2.5 months of age, whereas at 5 months samples were collected not only at sunrise, but also at mid-day and sunset to examine the diurnal rhythm of cortisol. At 2.5 months of age sham-operated males exhibited higher cortisol than females, but this sex difference was abolished by neonatal amygdalectomy, with lesioned males also showing lower basal cortisol than controls. Although neonatal amygdalectomy did not alter the postnatal T surge, there was a positive relationship between T and basal cortisol levels. At 5 months of age, neither the sex difference in cortisol, nor its correlation with T levels were apparent any longer. Instead, the diurnal cortisol rhythm of both males and females with amygdalectomy showed a blunted decline from mid-day to sunset compared to controls. These results indicate that neonatal amygdala damage alters basal HPA function in infant rhesus monkeys, affecting males only at early ages (at 2.5 months), while leaving the postnatal T surge intact, and resulting in a flattened diurnal rhythm in both genders at the later ages. Thus, the primate amygdala has a critical influence on the HPA axis in the first few months of life.

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Sex Differences in Neonatal Stress Reactivity

Cited by 57 publications

References 44 publications

Cortisol reactivity, maternal sensitivity, and infant preference for mother's familiar face and rhyme in 6‐month‐old infants

Cortisol reactivity, maternal sensitivity, and infant preference for mother's familiar face and rhyme in 6‐month‐old infants

Neonatal physiological regulation is associated with perinatal factors: A study of neonates born to healthy African American women living in poverty

Neonatal amygdala lesions alter basal cortisol levels in infant rhesus monkeys

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