News Reader

Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in collaboration with colleagues from the University of California Irvine, Oregon Health and Science University and the University of North Carolina in the USA have shown that increased levels of inflammatory markers during pregnancy can lead to changes in fetal brain development which, in turn, may increase the child's risk of developing psychiatric disorders. The incidence of impaired impulse control – the cardinal symptom of these disorders – appears to be particularly affected by this increase in maternal inflammation. Results from this study have been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry*.

 

While changes in the expression of inflammatory markers during a woman's pregnancy may be linked to infection, they can also be associated with other conditions, such as obesity or psychological stress. The most recent findings indicate that an increase in inflammatory markers are associated with altered fetal brain development. Led by Prof. Dr. Claudia Buß, the researchers discovered that newborns, whose mothers had elevated inflammatory markers during pregnancy, have an enlarged amygdala, the region of the brain which plays an important role in emotional processing. The researchers also discovered changes in the amygdala's connectivity to other brain regions. The changes in amaygdala size and connectivity were in turn associated with impaired impulse control.

 

The study was conducted at the University of California, Irvine, where Prof. Buß holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position, in collaboration with Professors Entringer and Wadhwa. A total of nearly 90 women in the first trimester of pregnancy were recruited and their infants were followed up serially until the age of 24 months. The participating women and their unborn children underwent three examinations – one in each of the three trimesters of pregnancy. In addition to carrying out ultrasound examinations and the analysis of biological samples, the researchers also recorded potential medical complications, as well as the psychological wellbeing of the mothers. The children underwent further examinations after birth. The initial examination, which took place during the first month of life, used magnetic resonance imaging to study the children's brains during natural sleep. Newborn neuroimaging data was analyzed in collaboration with colleagues at Oregon Health and Science University (Dr. Graham and Prof. Fair) and at the University of North Carolina (Professors Gilmore and Styner) in the USA. At 24 months of age, play-based tasks were used to assess the children's impulse control.

 

“We discovered that higher levels of interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker, were associated with changes in the neonatal amygdala in terms of its anatomy and connectivity. Furthermore, our subsequent findings showed that these changes were also associated with lower impulse control at 2 years of age,” explains Prof. Buß. “We therefore conclude that a link exists between higher levels of maternal inflammatory markers and an increased risk of psychiatric disorders that are commonly associated with impaired impulse control.” Animal models have shown that infections and inflammation in the pregnant animal lead to both changes in offspring brain development and behavior. Epidemiological studies also support the findings of this study, suggesting that maternal infections and other clinical phenotypes associated with increased interleukin-6 concentrations (such as obesity) during pregnancy increase the risk of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism.

 

*Graham AM, Rasmussen JM, Rudolph MD, Heim CM, Gilmore JH, Styner M, Potkin SG, Entringer S, Wadhwa PD, Fair DA, Buss C. Maternal Systemic Interleukin-6 During Pregnancy Is Associated With Newborn Amygdala Phenotypes and Subsequent Behavior at 2 Years of Age. Biol Psychiatry. 2017 Jun 19. pii: S0006-3223(17)31670-0. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.05.027.

 

 

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Claudia Buß

Institute of Medical Psychology

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Tel: +49 30 450 529 224

Email: claudia.buss@charite.de

Go back

Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.

Postal Address

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin
Charitéplatz 1
D-10117 Berlin

Campus Address

Charité Campus Mitte
Neuroscience Research Center
Hufelandweg 14
Level 01, room 020

Get in touch

You can find contact persons and telephone numbers on our contact page

Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Settings saved
Datenschutzeinstellungen

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes.

Dies sind Blindinhalte in jeglicher Hinsicht. Bitte ersetzen Sie diese Inhalte durch Ihre eigenen Inhalte. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo.

user_privacy_settings

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert die Privacy Level Einstellungen aus dem Cookie Consent Tool "Privacy Manager".

user_privacy_settings_expires

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert die Speicherdauer der Privacy Level Einstellungen aus dem Cookie Consent Tool "Privacy Manager".

ce_popup_isClosed

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert, dass das Popup (Inhaltselement - Popup) durch einen Klick des Benutzers geschlossen wurde.

onepage_animate

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert, dass der Scrollscript für die Onepage Navigation gestartet wurde.

onepage_position

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert die Offset-Position für die Onepage Navigation.

onepage_active

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert, dass die aktuelle Seite eine "Onepage" Seite ist.

view_isGrid

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert die gewählte Listen/Grid Ansicht in der Demo CarDealer / CustomCatalog List.

portfolio_MODULE_ID

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert den gewählten Filter des Portfoliofilters.

Eclipse.outdated-browser: "confirmed"

Domainname: Domain hier eintragen
Ablauf: 30 Tage
Speicherort: Localstorage
Beschreibung: Speichert den Zustand der Hinweisleiste "Outdated Browser".
You are using an outdated browser. The website may not be displayed correctly. Close