Pandemic Stress in Pregnant Women May Impact Babies' Brain Development: JAMA Study
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According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, a critical part of the brain linked to risks for anxiety later in life-the left amygdala-was significantly smaller by volume in babies of mothers who reported stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The right hippocampus, which governs spatial, visual and verbal memories, and the white matter were also reduced in children whose mothers reported stress.
Intrauterine stressors have been shown to influence fetal brain development and affect how the child, once born, grows and develops. Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy, including stress, anxiety, and depression, is recognized as one such stressor on early brain development. Available evidence shows that maternal anxiety during pregnancy is associated with altered brain growth and microstructure development in the amygdala and white matter in the offspring as well as lower cognitive scores and increased negative temperament from infancy to 2 years of age.
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