Prenatal stress exposure and multimodal assessment of amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex connectivity in infants

•Non-human animal research shows stress alters amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connectivity.•It is unclear how prenatal stress may alter human infant connectivity.•Prenatal stress was associated with decreased amygdala–mPFC functional connectivity.•Prenatal stress was associated with increa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Developmental cognitive neuroscience Vol. 46; p. 100877
Main Authors:	Humphreys, Kathryn L., Camacho, M.C., Roth, Marissa C., Estes, Elizabeth C.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2020 Elsevier
Subjects:	Adult Amygdala Amygdala - physiology Diffusion weighted imaging Female from the Special Issue on Childhood Adversity and Neurodevelopment; Edited by Margaret Sheridan; Katie McLaughlin Humans Infant neuroimaging Infant, Newborn Longitudinal Studies Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods Male Medial prefrontal cortex Pilot Projects Prefrontal Cortex - physiology Prenatal Care - methods Prenatal stress Resting-state Stress, Physiological - physiology Young Adult Medial prefrontal cortex Resting-state Amygdala Infant neuroimaging Diffusion weighted imaging Prenatal stress
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Summary:	•Non-human animal research shows stress alters amygdala–medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connectivity.•It is unclear how prenatal stress may alter human infant connectivity.•Prenatal stress was associated with decreased amygdala–mPFC functional connectivity.•Prenatal stress was associated with increased amygdala–mPFC structural connectivity.•This work provides insight into how stress contributes to neurodevelopmental risk. Stressful experiences are linked to neurodevelopment. There is growing interest in the role of stress in the connectivity between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a circuit that subserves automatic emotion regulation. However, the specific timing and mechanisms that underlie the association between stress and amygdala–mPFC connectivity are unclear. Many factors, including variations in fetal exposure to maternal stress, appear to affect early developing brain circuitry. However, few studies have examined the associations of stress and amygdala–mPFC connectivity in early life, when the brain is most plastic and sensitive to environmental influence. In this longitudinal pilot study, we characterized the association between prenatal stress and amygdala–mPFC connectivity in young infants (approximately age 5 weeks). A final sample of 33 women who provided data on preconception and prenatal stress during their pregnancy returned with their offspring for a magnetic resonance imaging scan session, which enabled us to characterize amygdala–mPFC structural and functional connectivity as a function of prenatal stress. Increased prenatal stress was associated with decreased functional connectivity and increased structural connectivity between the amygdala and mPFC. These results provide insight into the influence of prenatal maternal stress on the early development of this critical regulatory circuitry.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1878-9293 1878-9307
DOI:	10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100877