Maternal Exposure to Childhood Trauma Is Associated During Pregnancy with Placental-Fetal Stress Physiology

Abstract Background The effects of exposure to childhood trauma (CT) may be transmitted across generations; however, the time period(s) and mechanism(s) have yet to be clarified. We address the hypothesis that intergenerational transmission may begin during intrauterine life via the effect of matern...

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Published in:Biological psychiatry (1969) 2016-05, Vol.79 (10), p.831-839
Main Authors: Moog, Nora K, Buss, Claudia, Entringer, Sonja, Shahbaba, Babak, Gillen, Daniel L, Hobel, Calvin J, Wadhwa, Pathik D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Bayes Theorem
Child
Child Abuse
Childhood trauma
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - blood
Developmental programming
Female
Fetal Diseases - physiopathology
Humans
Intergenerational transmission
Linear Models
Longitudinal Studies
Maternal Exposure - adverse effects
Placenta Diseases - physiopathology
Placental CRH
Preconceptional stress
Pregnancy
Prospective Studies
Psychiatry
Socioeconomic Factors
Stress, Physiological
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Abstract Background The effects of exposure to childhood trauma (CT) may be transmitted across generations; however, the time period(s) and mechanism(s) have yet to be clarified. We address the hypothesis that intergenerational transmission may begin during intrauterine life via the effect of maternal CT exposure on placental-fetal stress physiology, specifically placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH). Methods The study was conducted in a sociodemographically diverse cohort of 295 pregnant women. CT exposure was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Placental CRH concentrations were quantified in maternal blood collected serially over the course of gestation. Linear mixed effects and Bayesian piece-wise linear models were employed to test hypothesized relationships. Results Maternal CT exposure (CT+) was significantly associated with pCRH production. Compared with nonexposed women, CT+ was associated with an almost 25% increase in pCRH toward the end of gestation, and the pCRH trajectory of CT+ women exhibited an approximately twofold steeper increase after the pCRH inflection point at 19 weeks gestation. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this finding represents the first report linking maternal CT exposure with placental-fetal stress physiology, thus identifying a potential novel biological pathway of intergenerational transmission that may operate as early as during intrauterine life.
ISSN:0006-3223
1873-2402
DOI:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.032