Effects of Maternal Stress on Nitric Oxide and Neurotrophins in Offspring's Brain

MAUR DG; BURDET B; PIVOZ-AVEDIKIAN JE ; LARRECHE CALAHORRANO MR ; ZORRILLA-ZUBILETE MA

Neonatal Care: New Research

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Lugar: Hauppauge NY; Año: 2013; p. 1 - 28

Several studies conducted on human beings and animals demonstrate that prenatal stress generates alterations which can be observed since birth, and which last up toadulthood. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is highly sensitive to programming during development it has been suggested that the fetal programming of the HPA axis is associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases, resistance to insulin, and diabetes in adult life. Between the HPA axis and immune-inflammatory responses, a negative feedback is established. The psychoneuroendocrine pathways involve the transplacentary passage of maternal glucocorticoids in order to influence directly on fetal growth and brain development. Several studies suggest that negative emotions during pregnancy generate adverse effects on the cognitive, behavioural and emotional development of the descendants. The present work explores the role of nitric oxide and neurotrophins in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, key structures to learning and  memory processes. Maternal stress and intrauterine environmental factors have a significant influence on fetal behaviour, as well as on central brain processes related with cognition, memory and habituation.