The Timing of Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Cortisol and Psychosocial Stress Is Associated With Human Infant Cognitive Development

TLDR

The study examined how prenatal maternal stress affects infant development in 125 full‑term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months. Maternal cortisol and psychological state were assessed five times throughout pregnancy to evaluate their impact on infant development. Elevated maternal cortisol early in gestation slowed infant development and lowered 12‑month mental scores, whereas high cortisol late in pregnancy accelerated development and raised scores, and early pregnancy‑specific anxiety independently predicted lower 12‑month mental scores, indicating programming effects of maternal stress.

Abstract

The consequences of prenatal maternal stress for development were examined in 125 full‐term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age. Maternal cortisol and psychological state were evaluated 5 times during pregnancy. Exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months. Elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation, however, were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months. Elevated levels of maternal pregnancy‐specific anxiety early in pregnancy were independently associated with lower 12‐month mental development scores. These data suggest that maternal cortisol and pregnancy‐specific anxiety have programming influences on the developing fetus.