title: Prenatal origins of individual variation in behavior and immunity.
abstract: The in utero environment plays a critical role in initiating the normal ontogeny of many physiological systems. As a consequence, disturbances during prenatal life can affect the baby's maturational trajectory and sometimes cause chronic alterations that influence health postpartum. Our review summarizes a series of studies in rhesus monkeys supporting these conclusions. Psychological disturbance or pharmacological stimulation of the gravid female's pituitary-adrenal axis affected the infant's neurological development: monkeys evinced immature neuromotor reflexes at birth, greater emotionality during the first year of life, and a smaller hippocampus as juveniles. Immune responses of the infants were also affected: lymphocyte proliferation, natural killer activity and cytokine production were reduced. Several mediating pathways were implicated, including the placental transfer of hormones and nutrients, and a differential response of the infant monkey to the rearing environment. For example, the establishment of beneficial types of microflora in the gastrointestinal tract was significantly reduced, which was associated with a greater risk for enteric infection. These findings indicate that events during fetal life can persistently influence physiology after birth and tilt the balance away from health and toward illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin, 22 North Charter, Madison, WI 53715, USA. ccoe@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Coe
authors.forename: Gabriele R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Lubach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006803:Human Development / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007206:Individuality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects