Prenatal exposure to maternal depression and anxiety on imprinted gene expression in placenta and infant neurodevelopment and growth

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Julia F Litzky, Dartmouth College; Maya A Deyssenroth, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai; Todd Everson, Emory University; Barry M. Lester, Brown University; Luca Lambertini, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai; Jia Chen, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai; Carmen Marsit, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-05-01
• Publisher: Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com]: Hybrid Journals
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © Copyright 2018 International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/pr.2018.27
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Pediatric Research
• ISSN: 0031-3998
• Volume: 83
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: 1075
• End Page: 1083
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (NIEHS R01ES022223; NIMH R01MH094609).
• Keywords: LIFE; Pediatrics; DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS; OUTCOMES; Science & Technology; PREGNANCY; STRESS; ANTENATAL DEPRESSION; MECHANISMS; BIRTH-WEIGHT; NEUROBEHAVIOR; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; DNA METHYLATION
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Psychology, Clinical; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

BackgroundDepression and/or anxiety during pregnancy have been associated with impaired fetal growth and neurodevelopment. Because placental imprinted genes play a central role in fetal development and respond to environmental stressors, we hypothesized that imprinted gene expression would be affected by prenatal depression and anxiety.MethodsPlacental gene expression was compared between mothers with prenatal depression and/or anxiety/obsessive compulsive disorder/panic and control mothers without psychiatric history (n=458) in the Rhode Island Child Health Study.ResultsTwenty-nine genes were identified as being significantly differentially expressed between placentae from infants of mothers with both depression and anxiety (n=54), with depression (n=89), or who took perinatal psychiatric medications (n=29) and control mother/infant pairs, with most genes having decreased expression in the stressed group. Among placentae from infants of mothers with depression, we found no differences in expression by medication use, indicating that our results are related to the stressor rather than the treatments. We did not find any relationship between the stress-Associated gene expression and neonatal neurodevelopment, as measured using the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale.ConclusionsThis variation in expression may be part of an adaptive mechanism by which the placenta buffers the infant from the effects of maternal stress.