title: The Placenta as a Mediator of Stress Effects on Neurodevelopmental Reprogramming.
abstract: Adversity experienced during gestation is a predictor of lifetime neuropsychiatric disease susceptibility. Specifically, maternal stress during pregnancy predisposes offspring to sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. Animal models have demonstrated disease-relevant endophenotypes in prenatally stressed offspring and have provided unique insight into potential programmatic mechanisms. The placenta has a critical role in the deleterious and sex-specific effects of maternal stress and other fetal exposures on the developing brain. Stress-induced perturbations of the maternal milieu are conveyed to the embryo via the placenta, the maternal-fetal intermediary responsible for maintaining intrauterine homeostasis. Disruption of vital placental functions can have a significant impact on fetal development, including the brain, outcomes that are largely sex-specific. Here we review the novel involvement of the placenta in the transmission of the maternal adverse environment and effects on the developing brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Stefanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Bronson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Tracy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Bale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D065886:Neurodevelopmental Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology