Associations between biological markers of prenatal stress and infant negative emotionality are specific to sex
Associations between biological markers of prenatal stress and infant negative emotionality are specific to sex
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DOI：
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.09.004
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发表时间：
2017-12-01
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Hill, Jonathan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Braithwaite, Elizabeth C.;Murphy, Susannah E.;Hill, Jonathan
目的：胎儿规划是指环境刺激可以改变胎儿的发育，这可能对孩子产生长期影响。我们最近报道，母亲产前皮质醇以性别依赖的方式预测婴儿的负面情绪：高产前皮质醇与女性的负面情绪增加有关，而男性的负面情绪减少。本研究的目的是在不同的队列中测试这种性别特异性效应，并通过性别相互作用检查母体唾液α -淀粉酶（sAA），研究胎儿编程的性别差异是否可能是糖皮质激素机制的特异性。方法：88例孕妇（平均胎龄27.4周，SD = 7.4）在家中采集2个工作日的唾液样本，检测激素皮质醇（取值范围0.13 ~ 88.22 nmol/l）和α -淀粉酶（取值范围4.57 ~ 554.8单位/ml）。在清醒、清醒后30分钟和清醒后12小时采集样本。出生两个月后，参与者使用婴儿行为问卷的“痛苦限制”子量表报告婴儿消极情绪。结果：母亲产前皮质醇与婴儿性别之间的相互作用对焦虑程度的预测接近显著性（p = 0.067）。与我们之前的发现一致，产前皮质醇与女性的消极情绪呈正相关，而与男性的消极情绪呈正相关。sAA和性别对焦虑的交互作用显著（p = 0.025），影响方向与皮质醇数据相同；高sAA与女性的负面情绪增加和男性的负面情绪减少有关。结论：与我们之前的发现一致，这项研究增加了一个新兴的文献体，表明胎儿编程机制可能是性别依赖的。这是第一个证明母亲产前sAA可能是婴儿行为的重要生物标志物的研究，该研究结果对理解发育精神病理学中的性别差异具有重要意义。
Purpose: Fetal programming is the idea that environmental stimuli can alter the development of the fetus, which may have a long-term effect on the child. We have recently reported that maternal prenatal cortisol predicts infant negative emotionality in a sex-dependent manner: high prenatal cortisol was associated with increased negative emotionality in females, and decreased negative emotionality in males. This study aims to test for this sex-specific effect in a different cohort, and investigate whether sex differences in fetal programming may be specific to glucocorticoid mechanisms by also examining a maternal salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) by sex interaction.Methods: 88 pregnant women (mean gestational age = 27.4 weeks, SD = 7.4) collected saliva samples at home over two working days to be assayed for the hormone cortisol (range = 0.13-88.22 nmol/l) and the enzyme alpha-amylase (range = 4.57-554.8 units/ml). Samples were collected at waking, 30-min post-waking and 12 h post-waking. Two months after birth participants reported infant negative emotionality using the distress to limits subscale of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire.Results: The interaction between maternal prenatal cortisol and infant sex to predict distress to limits approached significance (p = 0.067). In line with our previous finding there was a positive association between prenatal cortisol and negative emotionality in females, and a negative association in males. The interaction between sAA and sex to predict distress was significant (p = 0.025), and the direction of effect was the same as for the cortisol data; high sAA associated with increased negative emotionality in females and reduced negative emotionality in males.Conclusions: In line with our previous findings, this research adds to an emerging body of literature, which suggests that fetal programming mechanisms may be sex-dependent. This is the first study to demonstrate that maternal prenatal sAA may be an important biomarker for infant behavior, and the findings have implications for understanding sex differences in developmental psychopathology.