COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Prenatal Distress and Infant Functional Brain Development.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Psychological distress (eg, anxiety and depression) during pregnancy can disrupt fetal brain development and negatively affect infant behavior. Prenatal distress rose substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic according to most, but not all, studies, raising concerns about its potential effects on brain connectivity and behavior in infants.

Method

We investigated 63 mother-infant pairs as part of the Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic study. Mothers reported depression and anxiety symptoms prospectively during pregnancy; these were combined into one measure of prenatal maternal distress. Infant brain resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were obtained at 3 months of age, and mothers assessed infant behavior at 6 and 12 months using

SUBMITTER: Jaffer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12414312 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature