Jaffer Aliza, Manning Kathryn Y, Giesbrecht Gerald F, Tomfohr-Madsen Lianne M, Lebel Catherine
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
JAACAP Open. 2024 Sep 27;3(3):758-767. doi: 10.1016/j.jaacop.2024.09.008. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Psychological distress (eg, anxiety and depression) during pregnancy can disrupt fetal brain development and negatively affect infant behavior. Prenatal distress rose substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic according to most, but not all, studies, raising concerns about its potential effects on brain connectivity and behavior in infants.
We investigated 63 mother-infant pairs as part of the Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic study. Mothers reported depression and anxiety symptoms prospectively during pregnancy; these were combined into one measure of prenatal maternal distress. Infant brain resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were obtained at 3 months of age, and mothers assessed infant behavior at 6 and 12 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3), respectively. The rs-fMRI was processed to measure functional connectivity within auditory, left frontoparietal, and default mode networks, and connectivity was tested for relationships to prenatal maternal distress. Prenatal distress and brain connectivity were also tested for relationships with infant behavior.
Higher prenatal maternal distress was related to stronger functional connectivity in the infant auditory network (T = 2.5, = 0.01, q = 0.04, df = 59) and higher infant ASQ-3 personal-social scores (T = 2.9, = 0.006, q = 0.03, df = 48). No significant associations were found between brain connectivity and infant behavior.
The impact of exposure to maternal prenatal distress on infant brain networks may be more apparent in networks that develop early, such as the auditory network, compared to later-developing networks, the effects of which may emerge later in childhood. The link between prenatal maternal distress and higher infant behavior scores may suggest compensatory changes, although further study is needed to determine how behavior manifests in the longer term.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT: We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented sexual and/or gender groups in science. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group.
孕期的心理困扰（如焦虑和抑郁）会干扰胎儿大脑发育，并对婴儿行为产生负面影响。根据大多数但并非所有研究，新冠疫情期间产前困扰大幅增加，这引发了人们对其对婴儿大脑连接性和行为潜在影响的担忧。
作为“新冠疫情期间的孕期”研究的一部分，我们调查了63对母婴。母亲们在孕期前瞻性地报告了抑郁和焦虑症状；这些被合并为一项产前母亲困扰指标。在婴儿3个月大时进行了脑静息态功能磁共振成像（rs-fMRI）扫描，母亲们分别在婴儿6个月和12个月时使用修订版婴儿行为问卷（IBQ-R）和年龄与发育阶段问卷（ASQ-3）评估婴儿行为。对rs-fMRI进行处理，以测量听觉、左侧额顶叶和默认模式网络内的功能连接性，并测试连接性与产前母亲困扰之间的关系。还测试了产前困扰和脑连接性与婴儿行为之间的关系。
产前母亲困扰程度越高，与婴儿听觉网络中越强的功能连接性相关（T = 2.5，P = 0.01，q = 0.04，自由度 = 59）以及婴儿ASQ-3个人社交得分越高（T = 2.9，P = 0.006，q = 0.03，自由度 = 48）。未发现脑连接性与婴儿行为之间存在显著关联。
与发育较晚的网络相比，孕期暴露于母亲产前困扰对婴儿脑网络的影响在早期发育的网络（如听觉网络）中可能更明显，而其影响可能在儿童期后期才会显现。产前母亲困扰与较高的婴儿行为得分之间的联系可能表明存在代偿性变化，不过需要进一步研究以确定行为在更长期内如何表现。
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