Aims
There are an increasing number of reports suggesting an association
between maternal anxiety experienced during pregnancy and adverse outcomes
of the offspring. However, exploration of the biological changes in the
brain that mediate that relationship has been hampered by the lack of
appropriate biomarkers. This report represents an initial step exploring
whether a potential infant biomarker, smooth pursuit eye movements, may be
associated with prenatal exposure to maternal anxiety.
Study Design
Blinded cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study
Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Data collected from July 2011 to May 2012.
Methodology
Forty-three infants including 34 whose prenatal maternal anxiety
status was identified (12 with a known maternal prenatal anxiety diagnosis
and 22 without) had eye movements recorded during a smooth pursuit eye
movement task at four and/or six months of age.
Results
At 6 months of age, infants with prenatal exposure to maternal
anxiety, compared to infants without such exposure, spent a higher
percentage of time utilizing smooth pursuit (t=2.7, df=24,
P=.013), had longer duration of smooth pursuit
uninterrupted by saccades (t=2.5, df=24, P=.019), and had
decreased frequency of forward saccades (t=3.8, df=24,
P=.001). No differences between groups were identified at 4
months of age.
Conclusion
Smooth pursuit abnormalities may, at six months of age, be a
potential biomarker for prenatal maternal anxiety exposure.