Sensory processing disorder in a primate model: evidence from a longitudinal study of prenatal alcohol and prenatal stress effects

Disrupted sensory processing, characterized by over- or underresponsiveness to environmental stimuli, has been reported in children with a variety of developmental disabilities. This study examined the effects of prenatal stress and moderate-level prenatal alcohol exposure on tactile sensitivity and its relationship to striatal dopamine system function in thirty-eight 5- to 7-year-old rhesus monkeys. The monkeys were from four experimental conditions: (a) prenatal alcohol exposed, (b) prenatal stress, (c) prenatal alcohol exposed + prenatal stress, and (d) sucrose controls. Increased D(2) receptor binding in the striatum, evaluated using positron emission tomography neuroimaging, was related to increased withdrawal (aversion) responses to repetitive tactile stimuli and reduced habituation across trials. Moreover, prenatal stress significantly increased overall withdrawal responses to repetitive tactile stimulation compared to no prenatal stress.     

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure,Child Externalizing Behavior,and Maternal Stress

Objective. This study examined linkages between prenatal exposure to alcohol, current maternal alcohol use, child externalizing behavior, and maternal stress in a sample of 4- to 6-year-old children and their mothers. Design. Questionnaires, interviews, and behavioral observations were used to assess study variables in 42 mother - child dyads. Results. Current maternal alcohol use did not relate to children's behavior problems. However, children with higher levels of prenatal exposure to alcohol exhibited more externalizing behavior. In turn, higher levels of child externalizing behavior were associated with increased maternal stress. An alternative model, in which maternal stress was assumed to relate to less supportive mother - child interactions and higher levels of current maternal alcohol consumption, which in turn were expected to relate to higher rates of child externalizing behavior, did not fit the data. Conclusions. The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure likely extends to caregivers. Interventions must focus not only on affected individuals but also on their families, who may experience significant stress in trying to care for such individuals.     

Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Psychological Stress during Pregnancy Induce Attention and Neuromotor Impairments in Primate Infants

This study examined the effect of moderate alcohol and/or psychological stress during prenancy on off-spring growth and behavior in 33 rhesus monkey infants ( Macaca mulatta ). Infants were derived from 1 of 3 groups of female: (1) alcohol-consuming,0.6g/Kg, Daily throughou gestation (equivalet, to 1-2 drinks), beginning 5 day prior to breeding;(2) alcohol-consuming (as above) and exposed to mild psychological stress(removal from home cage and exposed to 3 random noise bursts); (3) sucrose-consuming, equivolemic, and equicaloric to the alcohol solution.Beginning on day 4 postpartum, intantrs underwent brief weekly separations from their mother for assessment of growth, behavior, and facial dimensions. Results indicated that moderate alcohol consumption throughout pregnancy was sufficient to affect attention and neuromotor functioning, even though the infants were normol in birthweight, gestational length, and facial dimensions, Moreover, alcohol-induced neuromotor impairments were exacerbated by maternal exposure to psychological stress, and males from the alcohol/stress condition had reduced birthweights. Finally, although all females consuming alcohol produced viable offspring, alcohol accompanie by stress during gestation resulted in 23% fetal losses (abortion and stillbirths).     

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Infant Information Processing Ability

403 black, inner-city infants born to women recruited prenatally on the basis of their alcohol consumption during pregnancy were assessed on a battery focusing on information processing and complexity of play. Prenatal alcohol exposure was not related to visual recognition memory or cross-modal transfer of information but was associated with longer fixation duration, a measure indicative of slower, less efficient information processing; lower scores on elicited play; and longer periods of toy exploration, possibly also due to slower cognitive processing. The effects on processing speed and elicited play were dose-dependent and not attributable to maternal depression, parental intellectual stimulation, other prenatal drug exposure, or postpartum maternal drinking. The processing speed deficit is consistent with deficits in older children prenatally exposed to alcohol; the present study is the first to identify slower cognitive processing in infancy and in tasks not dependent on motoric proficiency.     

Association between prenatal maternal anxiety and/or stress and offspring's cognitive functioning: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between prenatal maternal stress and/or anxiety and the outcomes of children aged 3 months to 9 years. Of the 8754 studies published before June 2021 that were synthesized, 17 conducted in Western countries were included in the meta-analysis (N_total = 23,307; M_males 54%; M_ethnicity White 77%, Pacific 15%, African American/Black 10%, Middle Eastern 7%, Eastern 8%). Effect sizes ranged from −0.41 to 0.15. A weak negative association was found between prenatal stress and/or anxiety exposure and children's general intellectual development. Associations varied based on the type of exposure. Findings are limited to developed counties and cannot be generalized to low- and middle-income countries. Directions for maternal prenatal intervention and future studies are discussed.     

Growth and development following prenatal stress exposure in primates: an examination of ontogenetic vulnerability

Previous studies have found that stressful events during pregnancy can influence the developing fetus, resulting in attentional and neuromotor problems. This prospective study examined whether periods of vulnerability exist for neurobehavioral impairments associated with prenatal stress, using a nonhuman primate model. Twenty-eight rhesus monkey infants were born to mothers in 3 groups: (1) early gestation stress involving mild psychological stress from gestational days 45-90, (2) mid-late gestation stress from days 90-145, and (3) undisturbed controls. Infants were separated from their mothers on days 4, 9, 15, and 22 (+/- 1) postpartum for growth and neurobehavioral assessments. Results indicated that infants from the early gestation stress condition weighed less than infants from mothers stressed during mid-late gestation. Moreover, whereas both groups scored lower than controls on measures of attention and neuromotor maturity, early gestation stress was associated with more pronounced and more pervasive motor impairments than mid-late gestation stress. These results suggest sensitivity to prenatal stress effects peaks during early gestation, tapering off during mid-late gestation. Clarifying the period of greatest vulnerability to prenatal stress moves toward elucidating the underlying mechanism for prenatal stress effects and may lead to more successful intervention and/or prevention.     

Does adolescent's exposure to parental intimate partner conflict and violence predict psychological distress and substance use in young adulthood? A longitudinal study

Little is known about the extent to which parental conflict and violence differentially impact on offspring mental health and substance use. Using data from a longitudinal birth cohort study this paper examines: whether offspring exposure to parental intimate partner violence (involving physical violence which may include conflicts and/or disagreements) or parental intimate partner conflict (conflicting interactions and disagreements only) are associated with offspring depression, anxiety and substance use in early adulthood (at age 21); and whether these associations are independent of maternal background, depression and anxiety and substance use. Data (n = 2,126 women and children) were taken from a large-scale Australian birth-cohort study, the Mater University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP). IPC and IPV were measured at the 14-year follow-up. Offspring mental health outcomes – depression, anxiety and substance use were assessed at the 21-year follow-up using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Offspring of women experiencing IPV at the 14-year follow-up were more likely to manifest anxiety, nicotine, alcohol and cannabis disorders by the 21-year follow-up. These associations remained after adjustment for maternal anxiety, depression, and other potential confounders. Unlike males who experience anxiety disorders after exposure to IPV, females experience depressive and alcohol use disorders. IPV predicts offspring increased levels of substance abuse and dependence in young adulthood. Gender differences suggest differential impact.     

The effect of intrauterine PCB exposure on visual recognition memory

Adverse neonatal outcomes have been associated with intrauterine exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In a follow-up study of exposed and nonexposed infants, 123 infants tested at birth were administered Fagan's test of visual recognition memory at 7 months. 2 measures of prenatal PCB exposure, cord serum PCB level and maternal report of contaminated fish consumption, both predicted less preference for a novel stimulus. Preference for novelty decreased in a dose-dependent fashion with increasing levels of prenatal PCB exposure. Postnatal exposure from nursing was not related to visual recognition memory. The relation between prenatal exposure and visual recognition was not mediated by the neonatal deficits, suggesting that intrauterine PCB exposure may have a delayed effect on central nervous system (CNS) functioning.     

Child protection reports and removals of infants diagnosed with prenatal substance exposure

BackgroundA frequent response for prenatal substance exposure (PSE) is intervention by child protective services (CPS). Previous research has examined differences in reports to CPS regarding PSE by substance exposure and by maternal race. However, little is known regarding the frequency of immediate removals by CPS relating to PSE and maternal race.MethodsWe investigated hospital reports to CPS and CPS removals of PSE infants by using linked birth, hospital discharge, and CPS records for all children born in Washington State between 2006 and 2013 (N = 760,863). We identified PSE using diagnostic codes, calculated prevalence by substance type and maternal race, and tested for differences by interactions of race and substance using multinomial logistic regression.ResultsPrevalence of PSE births varied by race with 8.1% of Native American, 2.8% of black, 1.9% of white, and 0.8% of Hispanic births diagnosed with PSE. Opioids was the most common type of PSE diagnosis at 48.2%. The majority of PSE infants (86.7%) were not removed by CPS but variations by substance type were observed. Of the interactions in the multinomial logistic regression model, only black infants exposed to alcohol were more likely to result in reports to CPS without removal than the referent group of white infants exposed to opioids.ConclusionsFindings indicate that most infants diagnosed with PSE were not removed by CPS and minority PSE infants were not reported to CPS or removed by CPS more than white infants. Racial differences identified in the prevalence of PSE present opportunities for targeted prevention efforts.     

Parenting stress and child maltreatment in drug-exposed children.

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between prenatal exposure to drugs and parenting stress and child maltreatment. The sample was comprised of 48 subjects including 24 drug-exposed children and a comparison group of 24 non-drug-exposed children matched on age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. The subjects' age ranged from 1 to 33 months with a mean of 13 months. As predicted, mothers who used drugs during pregnancy reported higher levels of stress than foster mothers and comparison mothers on total parenting stress, child related stress, and parent related stress as measured by the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1990). Biological mothers and foster mothers of drug-exposed infants scored higher than comparisons on child-related stress, most notably in the areas of hyperactivity, distractability and adaptability. A strong association was found between maternal use of drugs and child maltreatment serious enough to necessitate removal of the children by CPS. Over 40% of the drug-exposed children were in foster care, most often with maternal grandmothers. Most mothers who used drugs during pregnancy were polysubstance abusers and 21% were intravenous drug users increasing the risk of HIV infection for mothers and children. Implications for intervention are discussed.     

Fetal Substance Exposure and Cumulative Environmental Risk in an African American Cohort

Two models of vulnerability to socioenvironmental risk were examined in 337 African American children (M = 7.8 years) recruited to overrepresent prenatal alcohol or cocaine exposure: The cumulative risk model predicted synergistic effects from exposure to multiple risk factors, and the fetal patterning of disease model predicted that prenatal insult will increase vulnerability to environmental risk. Four or more risks emerged as a threshold for poorer cognitive and behavioral outcome among the non‐substance‐exposed children, whereas substance‐exposed children showed greater vulnerability to lower levels of environmental risk. Cumulative risk was associated with increased delinquent and internalizing behaviors only for the substance‐exposed group. Results support the cumulative risk model for non‐substance‐exposed children and increased vulnerability to environmental risk among the substance‐exposed group.     

Prenatal Risk and Infant Regulation: Indirect Pathways via Fetal Growth and Maternal Prenatal Stress and Anger

Pathways from maternal tobacco, marijuana, stress, and anger in pregnancy to infant reactivity and regulation (RR) at 9 months of infant age were examined in a low‐income, diverse sample beginning in the first trimester of pregnancy, with fetal growth and postnatal stress/anger as potential mediators, and infant sex as a moderator. Participants were 247 dyads (173 substance‐exposed infants). There were no direct effects of prenatal risk on RR and no moderation by sex. However, there were significant indirect effects on RR via poor fetal growth and higher postnatal anger. The study adds to the sparse literature on joint effects of tobacco and marijuana, and highlights the role of fetal growth and maternal anger as important pathways from prenatal risk to infant RR.     

Prenatal Maternal Stress,Child Cortical Thickness,and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

Prenatal maternal stress predicts subsequent elevations in youth depressive symptoms, but the neural processes associated with these links are unclear. This study evaluated whether prenatal maternal stress is associated with child brain development, and adolescent depressive symptoms using a prospective design with 74 mother child pairs (40 boys). Maternal stress was assessed during pregnancy, child cortical thickness at age 7, and depressive symptoms at age 12. Prenatal maternal stress was associated with less cortical thickness primarily in frontal and temporal regions and with elevated depressive symptoms; child cortical thickness additionally correlated with adolescent depressive symptoms. The observed associations are consistent with the possibility that cortical thickness in superior frontal regions links associations between prenatal maternal stress and adolescent depressive symptoms.     

Parental family stress during pregnancy and cognitive functioning in early childhood: The Generation R Study

We investigated whether parental family stress during pregnancy is associated with cognitive functioning in early childhood in a population-based cohort (n = 3139). Family stress was assessed using the Family Assessment Device at the 20th week of pregnancy and was reported by mothers and fathers. Mothers completed the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory, measuring children's verbal cognitive functioning, when children were 18 months and they completed the Parent Report of Children's Abilities, measuring nonverbal cognitive functioning, when children were 2 years old. Maternal prenatal family stress was related to children's low word comprehension and poorer nonverbal cognitive development independent of paternal reports. In a subset of 639 children, maternal prenatal family stress was also associated with observational assessments of poor effortful control at age 37 months. Paternal prenatal family stress was only related to poorer nonverbal cognitive development, independent of the mother. When both parents had high levels of prenatal family stress, children displayed particularly poor nonverbal cognitive development. These findings emphasize the significance of parental prenatal family stress for child developmental outcomes.     

Sensory Processing in Rhesus Monkeys: Developmental Continuity,Prenatal Treatment,and Genetic Influences

Neonatal sensory processing (tactile and vestibular function) was tested in 78 rhesus macaques from two experiments. At ages 4–5 years, striatal dopamine D₂ receptor binding was examined using positron emission tomography. At ages 5–7 years, adult sensory processing was assessed. Findings were: (a) prenatal stress exposure yielded less optimal neonatal sensory processing; (b) animals carrying the short rh5‐HTTLPR allele had less optimal neonatal sensory scores than monkeys homozygous for the long allele; (c) neonatal sensory processing was significantly related to striatal D₂ receptor binding for carriers of the short allele, but not for animals homozygous for the long allele; and (d) there was moderate developmental continuity in sensory processing from the neonatal period to adulthood.     

Comparison of the effects of acute and chronic psychological stress on metabolic features in rats

This study was aimed to compare the effects of acute and chronic psychological stress on metabolic factors. Forty-two male Wistar rats were divided into control and stressed groups. Stress was applied by a communication box acutely (1 d) and chronically (15 and 30 d). Blood sampling was carried out by retro-orbital-puncture method. The plasma levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, insulin, and corticosterone were measured. In addition, feed and water intake, latency to eat and drink, adrenal and body weights were determined. Acute and chronic psychological stress did not significantly change basal plasma corticosterone levels. However, immediately (1 min) after acute exposure to stress, plasma corticosterone level increased compared to that before stress exposure. Acute stress increased plasma insulin levels significantly. Fifteen days of stress exposure resulted in plasma glucose increase. Chronic stress significantly increased feed intake, latency to eat, and adrenal weight compared to acute stress. The body weights of both control and stressed groups increased markedly during the experiment. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index did not change significantly in the stressed group. In conclusion, application of acute and chronic psychological stress leads to different metabolic and/or behavioral changes but the metabolic changes resulting from acute exposure to stress seem to be more pronounced.     

State-dependent retention induced by postacquisition exposure to pentobarbital or shock stress in rats

Although state-dependent retention (SDR) has been the focus of considerable research in recent years, there has been little work demonstrating this phenomenon when the treatment is administeredafter learning. In the present study, the effectiveness of two different treatments, pentobarbital and shock-induced stress, in producing postacquisition SDR in rats was examined. In all experiments, water-deprived rats were exposed to a novel flavor, apple juice, on each of 2 days. Subjects that remember their initial exposure to this substance should show an increase in consumption on their second exposure (i.e., an attenuation of neophobia). It was found that subjects exposed to pentobarbital (Experiment 1) or shock-induced stress (Experiment 2) immediately after their initial exposure did not increase their intake on the subsequent exposure unless they were reexposed to pentobarbital (Experiment 1) or shock-induced stress (Experiment 2b) shortly prior to that exposure. These results clearly show that this “attenuation of neophobia” paradigm can be used to investigate postacquisition SDR.     

Cortisol Reactivity to Social Stress as a Mediator of Early Adversity on Risk and Adaptive Outcomes

Children chronically exposed to stress early in life are at increased risk for maladaptive outcomes, though the physiological mechanisms driving these effects are unknown. Cortisol reactivity was tested as a mediator of the relation between prenatal substance exposure and/or early adversity on adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. Data were drawn from a prospective longitudinal study of prenatal substance exposure (N = 860). Cortisol reactivity was assessed at age 11. Among African Americans, prenatal substance exposure exerted an indirect effect through early adversity and cortisol reactivity to predict externalizing behavior, delinquency, and a positive student–teacher relationship at age 11. Decreased cortisol reactivity was related to maladaptive outcomes, and increased cortisol reactivity predicted better executive functioning and a more positive student–teacher relationship.     

Prenatal Maternal Stress and Child IQ

The evidence for negative influences of maternal stress during pregnancy on child cognition remains inconclusive. This study tested the association between maternal prenatal stress and child intelligence in 4,251 mother–child dyads from a multiethnic population-based cohort in the Netherlands. A latent factor of prenatal stress was constructed, and child IQ was tested at age 6 years. In Dutch and Caribbean participants, prenatal stress was not associated with child IQ after adjustment for maternal IQ and socioeconomic status. In other ethnicities no association was found; only in the Moroccan/Turkish group a small negative association between prenatal stress and child IQ was observed. These results suggest that prenatal stress does not predict child IQ, except in children from less acculturated minority groups.     

Effects of 60-day NO2 fumigation on growth, oxidative stress and antioxidative response in Cinnamomum camphora seedlings

Objective:To study the oxidative stress and antioxidative response of Cinnamomum camphora seedlings exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) fumigation.Methods:Measurements were made up of the growth,chlorophyll content,chlorophyll fluorescence,antioxidant system and lipid peroxidation of one-year-old C.camphora seedlings exposed to NO2 (0.1,0.5,and 4 μl/L) fumigation in open top chambers over a period of 60 d.Results:After the first 30 d,0.5 and 4.0 μl/L NO2 showed insignificant effects on the growth of C.camphora seedlings.However,exposure to 0.5 and 4.0 μl/L NO2 for 15 d significantly reduced their chlorophyll content (P0.05),enhanced their malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (P0.05),and also significantly reduced the maximal quantum yield of PSII in the dark [the ratio of variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence (Fv/Fm)] (P0.05).In the latter 30 d,0.5 μl/L NO2 showed a positive effect on the vitality of the seedlings,which was reflected by a recovery in the ratio of Fv/Fm and chlorophyll content,and obviously enhanced growth,SOD activity,ascorbate (AsA) content and glutathione reductase (GR) activity (P0.05);4.0 μl/L NO2 then showed a negative effect,indicated by significant reductions in chlorophyll content and the ratio of Fv/Fm,and inhibited growth (P0.05).Conclusion:The results suggest adaptation of C.camphora seedlings to 60-d exposure to 0.1 and 0.5 μl/L NO2,but not to 60-d exposure to 4.0 μl/L NO2.C.camphora seedlings may protect themselves from injury by strengthening their antioxidant system in response to NO2-induced oxidative stress.