Prenatal Programming of Neurodevelopment: Structural and Functional Changes

Prenatal maternal stress is highly prevalent and predicts many child psychopathologies. Here, we apply the fetal programming hypothesis as an organizational framework to address the possibility that exposure to maternal stress during pregnancy affects fetal neurodevelopmental pathways that enhance risk for subsequent psychopathology. This chapter evaluates the empirical literature assessing the ontogenetic influences of prenatal maternal stress on child brain maturation. We conducted a systematic review investigating prenatal stress broadly defined and any direct measure of brain development including electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP), structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Lastly, we propose the following areas as promising avenues of future research to further elucidate the underlying etiology of such findings: investigation of sex/gender specific mechanisms, genetic interactions, pre- and postnatal effects, and opportunities for intervention.