Maternal corticotropin-releasing hormone and habituation in the human fetus.
Elevated concentrations of maternal corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) during the 2nd and early 3rd trimester of human pregnancy are associated with spontaneous preterm birth, but the effects of maternal CRH on the fetus are unknown. Maternal plasma was collected for analysis of CRH concentration, m = 156.24 +/- 130.91 pg/ml, from 33 pregnant women during Weeks 31-33 of gestation. Immediately after collection of plasma, fetal heart rate (FHR) measures were obtained in response to a challenge with a series of vibroacoustic stimuli. Fetuses of mothers with highly elevated CRH did not respond significantly to the presence of a novel stimulus in a repeated series, p = 0.016. These effects on the FHR response were not related to parity, fetal gender, medical (antepartum) risk, or eventual birth outcomes. Impaired dishabituation in these fetuses of mothers with high concentrations of CRH suggests that neurological systems rich with CRH receptors that support learning and memory, such as parahippocampal regions, may be targets for maternal/placental CRH, with implications for fetal neurological development.
Sandman
C A
CA
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine 92697, USA.
Wadhwa
P D
PD
Chicz-DeMet
A
A
Porto
M
M
Garite
T J
TJ
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000097:blood*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014590:Uterine Contraction / Q000502:physiology
D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone