Symposium
Session Room 219
Session Room 219
Monday, June 16, 02:40 PM – 03:55 PM
Symposium 6: Pre- and postnatal maternal health and child outcomes
Stress exposure and psychopathology not only impact the well-being of pregnant women, they are also associated with altered physical, emotional, behavioral and cognitive outcomes in their offspring. In this symposium, we will present findings on the effects of stress, psychopathology, and neuropharmacology during the critical period of pregnancy, focusing on maternal health and developmental outcomes of the exposed offspring. We will explore this relationship at different developmental stages, from in-utero to early childhood and adolescence as well as from the perspective of complementary disciplines, ranging from preclinical to clinical and epidemiological research. Finally, we will present evidence from in-vitro human model systems, to animal models, to human longitudinal cohort and health registries. In her talk, Dr. Jodie Pestana will focus on the long-term consequences of pregnancy on anxiety phenotypes, using a cross-species translational approach. Dr Pestana will describe new evidence showing that pregnancy alters the influence of fluctuating sex hormones (e.g., estrogens and progesterone) over the menstrual cycle (rodent estrous cycle) on anxiety in mother rats, with similar findings documented in human mothers (1). In addition, Dr Pestana will present new evidence in rats showing that the efficacy and dose response to commonly used anti-anxiety medications, such as valium, also differs following pregnancy (2). Dr. Cruceanu will present data from longitudinal perinatal cohorts and human in-vitro model systems of the placenta-brain axis. Her work will explore how exposures to stress and neuropharmacology during critical prenatal periods can have profound and lasting effects on molecular and cellular pathways of health risk and resilience (4, 5). Combining registry and survey data, Dr. Halldorsdottir will present findings illustrating how in-utero and postpartum exposure to socioeconomic, psychological and health-related stress indicators predict internalizing and externalizing problems in nationally representative cohort of adolescents (5). These findings highlight the importance of identifying high-risk groups by incorporating a broad range of risk factors when evaluating mothers in prenatal care to help identify high-risk offspring who might benefit from early intervention and support. At the end, the chair will provide insights into the presented findings, consolidate shared translational importance of the interdisciplinary research presented, and provide future directions and stimulate discussion for the interdisciplinary audience.