Depression, stress, and anxiety in pregnant women that occurred as a result of the COVID-29 pandemic may have an impact on fetal brain development.
Researchers have detected biomarkers for the common fungicide azoxystrobin (AZ) in the urine of pregnant women and children between the ages of 40-84 months. In mouse models, AZ entered the brains of mice in-utero and killed some embryonic cortical neurons.
Bipedalism dramatically reshaped the hominin pelvis into a real birth canal. Researchers report Australopithecus had complex birth patterns compared to Great Apes and were likely to have practiced co-operative breeding.
A 12-year-long study found a significant rise in exposure to chemicals from plastics and pesticides in pregnant women which may be harmful to development. Many of the chemicals were "replacement chemicals", ones designed to replace banned chemicals, which may be just as harmful as the ones they replaced.
Stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy were associated with altered key features in fetal brain development, resulting in decreased cognitive offspring in a child at 18 months of age.
In mice, the failed epigenetic suppression of Xist leads to fetal developmental abnormalities and miscarriage. Knocking out the Xist gene greatly reduced prenatal death. The findings have implications for understanding infertility and developing new treatments to prevent miscarriage.
Women expecting male babies often face more complications during pregnancy. Researchers found the sex of a baby affects how well the placenta functions, along with other factors including maternal stress and diet-induced maternal obesity. Designing individual plans and encouraging women to make lifestyle choices based on their child's sex could provide long-term health benefits and reduce complications during pregnancy.
Type 1 diabetes in either parent was associated with an increased risk of cognitive development problems and lower academic performance in children.
A new study sheds light on the neurobiology of cravings for certain foods women experience while pregnant. According to researchers, during pregnancy, the brain undergoes alterations to functional connections in the reward systems, as well as taste and sensorimotor centers. Pregnant females become more sensitive to sweet foods and develop binge eating behaviors toward high-calorie foods. Pregnancy induces a full reorganization of the mesolimbic neural circuits via D2R dopaminergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens.
Many women experienced lingering depression throughout pregnancy and postpartum, despite using SSRI antidepressants, a new study reports.
Exposure to a complex mixture of endocrine-disrupting chemicals during pregnancy impacts brain development and language acquisition in children.
Sleep apnea during pregnancy may increase the risk of brain and behavioral changes associated with autism in males, a new study reports.
