Does maternal prenatal stress adversely affect the child's learning and memory at age six?
Prenatal maternal stress has been shown to affect postnatal development in animals and humans. In animals, the morphology and function of the offspring's hippocampus is negatively affected by prenatal maternal stress. The present study prospectively investigated the influence of prenatal maternal stress on learning and memory of 112 children (50 boys, 62 girls, Age: M=6.7 years, SD=8.4 months), with the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL). Maternal stress levels were determined three times during pregnancy by self-report questionnaires. Furthermore, maternal saliva cortisol samples were used as a measure of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning. Results of hierarchical multivariate regression analyses showed that maternal life events measured during the first part of pregnancy were negatively associated with the child's attention/concentration index, while controlling for overall IQ, gender, and postnatal stress. No associations were found between prenatal maternal cortisol and the offspring's learning and memory.
Gutteling
Barbara M
BM
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Utrecht University Medical Center and the Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Utrecht, The Netherlands. B.Gutteling@psy.umcn.nl
de Weerth
Carolina
C
Zandbelt
Noortje
N
Mulder
Eduard J H
EJ
Visser
Gerard H A
GH
Buitelaar
Jan K
JK
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires