Maternal Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Structural Changes of the Human Fetal Brain
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: We investigated whether the mental health of pregnant mothers influenced the brain development of their fetuses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We imaged the brains of fetuses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked the mothers questions about any distress experienced during pregnancy. We found increased maternal stress and depression in women pregnant during the pandemic compared to those pregnant before the pandemic. The volume of some areas of the fetal brain decreased and there was a delay in the development of the brain folds in the fetuses of the distressed mothers. The Matlab codes are used to calculate brain cortical gyrification, including surface area, local gyrification index, and sulcal depth.
Authors: Lu, Yuan-Chiao, Andescavage, Nickie, Wu, Yao, Kapse, Kushal, Andersen, Nicole R., Quistorff, Jessica, Saeed, Haleema, Lopez, Catherine, Henderson, Diedtra, Barnett, Scott D., Vezina, Gilbert, Wessel, David, du Plessis, Adre, Limperopoulos, Catherine
Institution: Children's National
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6893904885