title: Prenatal Programming of Postnatal Susceptibility to Memory Impairments: A Developmental Double Jeopardy.
abstract: In the study reported here, we examined the effects of fetal exposure to a synthetic stress hormone (synthetic glucocorticoids) on children's susceptibility to postnatal sociodemographic adversity. We recruited children who were born healthy and at term. Twenty-six had been treated with steroid hormones (glucocorticoids) during the prenatal period, and 85 had not. Only children exposed to both prenatal stress hormones and postnatal sociodemographic adversity showed impaired performance on standardized tests of memory function. The association was specific to long-term memory. General intellectual functioning and expressive language were not affected by fetal glucocorticoid exposure. Results were independent of maternal intelligence and maternal depression at the time of the study. These findings are consistent with a vulnerability-stress model: Prenatal exposure to synthetic stress hormones is associated with increased susceptibility to subsequent adversity, with consequences for cognitive functioning that persist 6 to 10 years after birth.
authors.affiliation: Women and Children's Health and Well-Being Project, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine.
authors.forename: Kerry-Ann
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Women and Children's Health and Well-Being Project, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine.
authors.forename: Curt A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sandman
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Irvine.
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Denver.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dmitrieva
authors.affiliation: Women and Children's Health and Well-Being Project, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine Department of Psychology, University of Denver elysia.davis@du.edu.
authors.forename: Elysia Poggi
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids
keywords: betamethasone; cognition; cortisol; glucocorticoids; memory; prenatal; stress