Stress reactivity in preschool-aged children: Evaluation of a social stress paradigm and investigation of the impact of prenatal maternal stress

In animals and humans, prenatal maternal stress (PS) has impact on birth outcomes, development and stress regulation as well as disease in the offspring (e.g., Stein et al., 2014; Van den Bergh et al., 2017). The intrauterine environment contributes to long-term consequences particularly via epigenetic modifications —a process referred to as prenatal programming (Sosnowski et al., 2018). While the importance of PS is well-established, its precise mechanisms and the timing of its effects are still within the scope of current research.

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 5, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: T.S. Send, S. Bardtke, M. Gilles, I.A.C. Wolf, M.W. S ütterlin, C. Kirschbaum, M. Laucht, S.H. Witt, M. Rietschel, F. Streit, M. Deuschle Source Type: research