Electrophysiological and Epigenetic Biomarkers of Prenatal Stress in a Human Cohort?.

PETER ZIMMERMANN; JENNIFER KRIEBEL; MACDONALD, JAMES W.; ANTONELLI, MARTA C.; RITIKA SHARMA; BERG, G.; RORY WILSON; BAMMLER, THEO K.; CAMILA ZELGERT; BIBIANA FABRE; MELANIE WALDENBERGER; LOBMAIER, SILVIA M.

Glasgow

Congreso; Federation of European Neuroscience Societies. FENS 2020 Virtual Forum.; 2020

Aim: Wehypothesize that children affected by prenatal stress (PS) might show alterations of fetal Autonomic Nervous System. We aim to develop an electrophysiological and epigenetic biomarker panel as an early non- invasive measure of PS-exposed infants. Methods: In a prospective study, pregnant women were screened for chronic stress exposure usingCohen Perceived Stress Scale and were classified into stressed group (SG, PSS-10 ≥ 19, N= 55) and control group (CG, PSS-10 < 19, N=55). Fetal (f) and maternal (m) electrocardiograms were recorded to derive heart rate signals (mHR, fHR). We analyzed coupling between mHR and fHR using bivariate Phase Rectified Signal Averaging which yielded fetal stress index (FSI). Cortisol was measured in maternal hair. DNA methylation was measured in saliva samples of newborns using EPIC Bead-Chip array. To identify associations between cortisol/FSI and methylation, linear regression models adjusting for confounders (sex, age, smoking and cell-types) were run. Results: FSI was significantly higher in PS fetuses [0.43 (0.18-0.85) versus 0.00 (-0.49-0.18), p