Editorial: In Utero Exposure to Maternal Affective Symptoms: Prenatal Programming of Child Psychopathology is Independent of Shared Genes of Risk

The womb is an influential first home. This felicitous phrase is attributed to David Barker, often called the father of the late 20th century Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, which asserts that maternal experiences during pregnancy are biologically transmitted to, and embedded in, the fetus, shaping child development. 1 Specifically, Barker focused on maternal inadequate nutrition as a key in utero exposure to which the fetus biologically adapts, leading to biologically programmed changes, meaning long-lasting, that potentially put the offspring at risk for future metabolic diseases.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research