Abstract

Birth complications have medical and neurobehavioral consequences. In the United States, birth complications of unknown origin continue to account for at least 50% of the reported cases. The proposed project is designed to examine the contribution of maternal stress to adverse birth outcomes. In addition, neuroendocrine response (beta-endorphins, ACTH, cortisol, CRF, and catecholamines) and measures of fetal physiology will be assessed as possible markers of stress and predictors of outcome. Over a three year period, 375 women, half Hispanic, and half Anglo, selected from a total population of over 7,200 will be assessed during the third trimester of their pregnancy with measures of stress and strain (response to stress). In addition, maternal plasma will be collected for assays of beta-endorphins, ACTH, CRF and cortisol, and maternal urine for catecholamines. These peptides have been selected because they are responsive to stress, and have effects on the course of pregnancy and birth outcome. Measures of fetal physiology, including doppler velocimetry of the uteroplacental circulation and fetal heart rate under resting and challenge conditions will be taken. At birth, maternal and cord (infant) blood will be collected and analyzed for levels of neuropeptides. Birth and delivery outcomes will be determined. Multivariate models to predict the effects of stress and strain on birth complications will be constructed.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD028413-02
Application #
3330027
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 3 (HUD)
Project Start
1992-05-01
Project End
1995-04-30
Budget Start
1993-05-01
Budget End
1994-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1993
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
161202122
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697

  Publications

Stout, Stephanie A; Espel, Emma V; Sandman, Curt A et al. (2015) Fetal programming of children's obesity risk. Psychoneuroendocrinology 53:29-39
Sandman, Curt A; Buss, Claudia; Head, Kevin et al. (2015) Fetal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms is associated with cortical thickness in late childhood. Biol Psychiatry 77:324-34
Sandman, Curt A (2015) Fetal exposure to placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) programs developmental trajectories. Peptides 72:145-53
Hilmert, Clayton J; Dominguez, Tyan Parker; Schetter, Christine Dunkel et al. (2014) Lifetime racism and blood pressure changes during pregnancy: implications for fetal growth. Health Psychol 33:43-51
Sandman, Curt A; Head, Kevin; Muftuler, L Tugan et al. (2014) Shape of the basal ganglia in preadolescent children is associated with cognitive performance. Neuroimage 99:93-102
Sandman, Curt A; Glynn, Laura M; Davis, Elysia Poggi (2013) Is there a viability-vulnerability tradeoff? Sex differences in fetal programming. J Psychosom Res 75:327-35
Hahn-Holbrook, Jennifer; Schetter, Christine Dunkel; Arora, Chander et al. (2013) Placental Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Mediates the Association Between Prenatal Social Support and Postpartum Depression. Clin Psychol Sci 1:253-264
Sandman, Curt A; Davis, Elysia Poggi (2012) Neurobehavioral risk is associated with gestational exposure to stress hormones. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 7:445-459
Buss, Claudia; Davis, Elysia Poggi; Shahbaba, Babak et al. (2012) Maternal cortisol over the course of pregnancy and subsequent child amygdala and hippocampus volumes and affective problems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109:E1312-9
Buss, Claudia; Entringer, Sonja; Wadhwa, Pathik D (2012) Fetal programming of brain development: intrauterine stress and susceptibility to psychopathology. Sci Signal 5:pt7

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