Associations of gestational anxiety and depression with neonatal hair steroid levels

Arthur Chortatos, Axel Davies Vittersø, Lauri Uusitalo, Marko Lehtonen, Johanna Huotari, Seppo Auriola, Raimo Voutilainen, Katri Backman, Leea Keski-Nisula, Soili M. Lehto

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association prenatal maternal depression and anxiety may have on the levels of neonatal hair steroids (i.e. cortisol, cortisone, and the cortisol/cortisone ratio) at birth. Methods: Altogether, 271 mother-infant pairs derived from the Finnish Kuopio Birth Cohort Study were assessed for maternal depression and anxiety using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS: EPDS-10 for depression, EPDS-3A for anxiety) during the first (T1) and third (T3) trimesters. The levels of cortisol and cortisone were determined from neonatal hair samples obtained at birth. Linear mixed models adjusted for sex, preterm birth, smoking during pregnancy, and gestational diabetes were used. Results: Neither T1 nor T3 EPDS-10 predicted the levels of neonatal hair steroids. T3 EPDS-3A (p = 0.012), but not T1 EPDS-3A, was linked to reduced neonatal hair cortisol levels. Neither T1 nor T3 EPDS-3A were significant predictors of neonate cortisone levels or cortisol/cortisone ratios. Conclusion: Prenatal maternal anxiety, but not depression, may lead to pronounced alterations in some markers of fetal stress systems. Future research should further determine whether prenatal maternal symptoms of anxiety would form an optimal intervention target in order to attenuate fetal stress responses.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107260
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume172
Number of pages4
ISSN0306-4530
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2025
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors

Fields of Science

  • Cortisol/Cortisone ratio
  • Hair cortisol
  • Hair cortisone
  • HPA axis
  • Neonate
  • Prenatal anxiety
  • Prenatal depression
  • 3124 Neurology and psychiatry

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