A study out of the University of Lethbridge has found that the effects of prenatal maternal stress can last for generations.
Dr. Gerlinde Metz and Dr. Stephanie King, alongside a team of researchers, used a rat model to study the impacts of stress across four generations.
“Prenatal maternal stress is a major driver of adverse pregnancy outcomes and a risk factor for chronic illness in adulthood,” remarks Metz. “The present study builds on our earlier finding that transgenerational and multigenerational PNMS causes adverse pregnancy outcomes and impaired development in offspring.”
The U of L notes that the first and second-generation mothers experienced shorter pregnancies and modified behaviours.
Additionally, their pups had reduced weight and delayed sensorimotor development. “In our new study, we found that the first generation of offspring revealed a moderate impact of PNMS, but we saw drastic changes in the second and third generations,” says Metz.
The study found that the disruption involved genes and biological pathways connected with neurological and psychiatric diseases.
The U of L says that could help explain why some non-genetic diseases carry a risk in some families. Typically, the placenta prevents fetal exposure to maternal stress hormones, but PNMS could affect the balance. If stress happens during a critical time of development, it can impact the eggs, sperm and potentially the health of future generations.
“Our study demonstrates the compounding consequences of PNMS across generations,” states Metz. “It also suggests the placenta could be a source of predictive biomarkers associated with neurodevelopmental health.”
Using the placenta to find markers associated with prenatal stress could lead to therapeutic interventions in early life that could lessen the impact of certain psychological and neurological diseases.
Dr. King is the lead author of the study, as well as an assistant professor and research director at St. Matthews University School of Medicine in the Cayman Islands.
She says one of the most exciting parts of the study is the identification of the placenta as a potential non-invasive biomarker for predicting a child’s neurodevelopment health.
“We saw many of the same shifts in the placenta mirrored in the brain. By analyzing placental tissue, we can gain insights into how prenatal stress can predispose individuals to mental or physical health issues later in life,” says King.
“Our findings underscore the importance of considering environmental stressors, like maternal stress, as key contributors to the rising rates of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.”
She adds that the research will help open new avenues for early intervention and prevention strategies, which could help to reduce “the transgenerational transmission of these risks”.
