title: Maternal Stress in Gestation: Birth Outcomes and Stress-Related Hormone Response of the Neonates.
abstract: Relatively few studies have been made on neurobehavioral outcomes of prenatal maternal stress during the newborn period, and little research has focused on umbilical cord stress hormones including cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Our objective was to investigate the effects of prenatal maternal life stressors on neonatal birth outcomes, neurobehavioral development, and stress-related hormones levels.
  
  
  
  Participants were 142 mothers and their infants; 71 were selected as the prenatal life stressor exposed group and 71 as the control group matched on maternal age, gestational week, delivery type, socioeconomic and education status, and newborns' sex. Maternal life stressors during pregnancy were determined using the Life Events Scale for Pregnant Women. Neonatal neurobehavioral development was assessed with the Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment. Umbilical cord plasma stress-related hormones, including ACTH, cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  
  In the prenatal life stressors exposed group, newborns had significantly lower birth weight, smaller head circumference (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively). Scores of Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Cord plasma ACTH, norepinephrine, and epinephrine levels were significantly increased (p < 0.001), but cortisol levels were reduced (p < 0.001).
  
  
  
  Prenatal maternal stress may negatively affect fetal birth outcomes, neurobehavioral development and affect neonates' cord plasma ACTH, cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Division of Neonatology, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Huifang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Department of Neonatology, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Huiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Department of Neonatology, Child and Maternity Healthy Hospital of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Junan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Province Biomedicine Key Laboratory, College of Life Sciences Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Department of Pharmacology, Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Zhongliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: huili@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002657:Child Development; D002681:China; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine
keywords: adrenocorticotropic hormone; cortisol; neonate neurobehavioral development; prenatal maternal stress