Entringer Sonja, Buss Claudia, Kumsta Robert, Hellhammer Dirk H, Wadhwa Pathik D, Wüst Stefan
Department of Theoretical and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Trier, Germany.
Behav Neurosci. 2009 Aug;123(4):886-93. doi: 10.1037/a0016265.
The aim of the present study was to examine the association between prenatal psychosocial stress exposure and subsequent prefrontal cortex-dependent working memory performance in human adults. Working memory performance was assessed using an item-recognition task under 10 mg hydrocortisone (cortisol) and placebo conditions in a sample of 32 healthy young women (mean age = 25 +/- 4.34 years) whose mothers experienced a major negative life event during their pregnancy (Prenatal Stress, PS group), and in a comparison group of 27 healthy young women (mean age = 24 +/- 3.4 years). The two groups did not differ in the placebo condition, however, subjects in the PS group showed longer reaction times after hydrocortisone administration compared with subjects in the comparison group (p = .02). These findings provide support for an association between prenatal stress exposure and the potential modulatory effect of cortisol on working memory performance in young adults, which may reflect compromised development of the prefrontal cortex in prenatal life.
本研究的目的是探讨产前心理社会应激暴露与成年人类随后的前额叶皮质依赖工作记忆表现之间的关联。在32名健康年轻女性（平均年龄=25±4.34岁）的样本中，其母亲在孕期经历了重大负面生活事件（产前应激，PS组），以及在27名健康年轻女性（平均年龄=24±3.4岁）的对照组中，使用项目识别任务在10毫克氢化可的松（皮质醇）和安慰剂条件下评估工作记忆表现。两组在安慰剂条件下没有差异，然而，与对照组相比，PS组受试者在服用氢化可的松后反应时间更长（p = 0.02）。这些发现支持了产前应激暴露与皮质醇对年轻人工作记忆表现的潜在调节作用之间的关联，这可能反映了产前生活中前额叶皮质发育受损。
