Maternal Prenatal Stress, Thyroid Function and Neurodevelopment of the Offspring: A Mini Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT: Fetal brain is extremely plastic and vulnerable to environmental influences that may have long-term impact on health and development of the offspring. Both the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid (HPT) axes are involved in stress responses, whereas, their final effectors, the Glucocorticoids (GCs) and the Thyroid Hormones (TH s), mediate several fundamental processes involved in neurodevelopment. The effects of these hormones on brain development are found to be time and dose-dependent. Regarding THs, the developing fetus depends on maternal supply of hormones, especially in the first half of pregnancy. It is acknowledged that inadequate or excess concentrations of both GCs and THs can separately cause abnormalities in the neuronal and glial structur

SUBMITTER: Anifantaki F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8455916 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature