The effects of ethnoracial-related stressors during pregnancy on the developing offspring brain

Abstract

We are increasingly aware of the effects of ethnoracial stress on health, with emerging interest in the potential for intergenerational transmission before birth. Here, we investigate the effect of maternal prenatal discrimination and acculturation experiences on fetal growth, birth outcomes, and functional connectivity in the infant brain. In pregnant adolescent women, we collected self-report measures of acculturation (tailored to an adolescent and Latinx population), discrimination, and maternal distress (i.e., stress and depressive symptoms; n=165). Fetal growth were obtained via electronic health records (n=92), and infant amygdala seed connectivity was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (n=38). We found that greater maternal prenatal assimilation to the host culture was associated with slower fetal growth, lower gestational age at birth, and weaker amygdala-fusiform connectivity. Maternal prenatal discrimination was associated with weaker amygdala-prefrontal connectivity. Together, these results suggest intergenerational effects of ethnoracial stressors on the growth and neural development of future generations.