title: Modulation of prenatal stress via docosahexaenoic acid supplementation: implications for child mental health.
abstract: Pregnant women living in poverty experience chronic and acute stressors that may lead to alterations in circulating glucocorticoids. Experimental evidence from animal models and correlational studies in humans support the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids can negatively affect the developing fetus and later emotional and behavioral regulation in the offspring. In this integrative review, recent findings from research in psychiatry, obstetrics, and animal and human experimental studies on the role of docosahexaenoic acid in modulation of the stress response and brain development are discussed. The potential for an emerging field of nutritionally based perinatal preventive interventions for improving offspring mental health is described. Prenatal nutritional interventions may prove to be effective approaches to reducing common childhood mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: K. Keenan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. A.E. Hipwell is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. kekeenan@uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.affiliation: K. Keenan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. A.E. Hipwell is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Alison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hipwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D008603:Mental Health; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids
keywords: docosahexaenoic acid; fatty acids; infant mental health; pregnancy; prenatal stress; supplementation.