Biol Psychiat: stress during pregnancy may affect the brain development of infants

October 12, 2019 / BIOON / - recently, in a research report published in the international journal Biological Psychology, scientists from King's College London University found that women's stress before and during pregnancy may affect the development of fetal brain In this study, researchers analyzed the relationship between maternal stress and fetal brain development in 251 preterm infants for the first time They found that the development of uncinate fasciculus in the brain of infants born to mothers who experienced more prenatal stress would be significantly damaged Photo source: cc0 public domain In the article, the researchers asked mothers to complete a questionnaire, which included their experiences in stress events, including daily stress such as moving house or taking exams, and severe stress such as bereavement, separation or divorce The severity of stress was calculated according to the stress they experienced and the severity of the stress, which may be directly related to the brain development of infants Guan, the researchers used a medical imaging technology called diffusion tensor imaging to observe the structure of white matter in the baby's brain Previously, the researchers believed that white matter tract is related to the occurrence of anxiety, and adults with anxiety often show changes in white matter tract Researcher Alexandra lautarescu said that mothers who experience greater stress during pregnancy and before birth experience certain changes in the white matter in their babies' brains This may highlight the importance of providing support for pregnant women Previous studies have shown that interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy may help reduce the adverse health consequences of infants In addition, the conversation between clinicians and pregnant women also plays a key role when asked about depression Few people ask about general stress and anxiety, and women who deal with stressful life events during pregnancy may not usually be seen by their clinicians The researchers said that we try to emphasize that the mental health of pregnant women during pregnancy will affect the brain development of infants, but this may affect their later life No one will ask about the pressure of pregnant women, so pregnant women often do not get the support and help they should have Some prenatal services may also be aware of the importance of maternal stress, and clinicians should also consciously provide mental help to these pregnant women, so as to effectively prevent the brain development of infants from being affected There is evidence that if women experience poor mental health during pregnancy, it may lead to poor health outcomes after birth, such as low birth weight or premature birth, etc.; and poor mental health of mothers may also lead to changes in their early behavior, such as frequent crying, etc Later researchers also need to study further to understand whether changes in brain development in infants will affect their later health Previous stress could affect baby's brain, say researchers new research from King's College London has found that material stress before and during precedence could affect a baby's brain development In their study published in biological psychology, MRC medical research in permanent imaging and health, Alexandra Lautarescu and Head of Advanced Neuroimaging, Professor Serena Counsell, for the first time looked at the relationship between maternal stress and brain development in 251 premature babies They found evidence for impaired development of a white matter tract, the uncinate fasciculus, in babies whose mothers experienced more stress in the prenatal period......