tribute to predicting maternal mental health status .
The passenger in the womb – maternal distress and offspring development
In this context , it is necessary to identify key early-life epigenetic signatures in order to predict children ’ s cognitive and psycho-emotional development . Taking advantage of a populationbased longitudinal study in Uppsala which includes extensive phenotyping of mothers and infants , together with a biobanking program , will help to identify novel high-quality umbilical cord blood and salivary epigenetic biomarkers that are associated with maternal stress . Additionally , this might help to predict the risk for internalizing problems after birth , to replicate and validate the above epigenetic markers and to take perinatal factors ( i . e . maternal depression and stressful life events during pregnancy , use of antidepressants , maternal smoking ) and early-life factors into account . To put it in a nutshell , in Tübingen , there will be special emphasis on characterizing infant development according to developmental ‘ milestones ’ via a milestone diary to further infer associations between maternal and infant well-being / development and motherchild bonding . These relationships are essential for getting a deeper understanding of the origins and risk factors of developmental problems that later may lead to the development of various psychological disorders . In our fourth project , we will investigate child development using milestones and standardized tests as well as investigate mother-child bonding and social interaction .
Pregnancy as a vulnerable period influences not only the mother but has long lasting effects on the baby with growing evidence showing that the origins of structural alterations , characterizing mental and neurodevelopmental disorders may date back to the early intrauterine period . In our working group , we will therefore investigate the impact of sex hormones and pregnancy on socio-cognitive processes , brain structure and function . Women will undergo an fMRI emotion regulation task , structural and resting state measures as well as psychological and physiological measures and fMEG measurements . The measurements are planned to start around the 21st- 23rd week of pregnancy and last until 18 months after the birth of their child .
We would like to thank the Center for Integrative Neuroscience , Tübingen ( CIN ), for funding this Mini Research Training Group ( DFG EXC 307 ).
Image sources were open source or belong to the author , unless otherwise noted .
Elisa Rehbein is a PhD student of the Centre of Integrative Neuroscience ( CIN ) in the working group of Prof . Birgit Derntl in Tübingen .
Ilena Bauer is a PhD student of the Graduate Training Center of Neuroscience . She is doing her PhD in the working group of Prof . Hubert Preißl at the fMEG Center in Tübingen .
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