ArticleBiological psychiatry2019
Maternal Cortisol Concentrations During Pregnancy and Sex-Specific Associations With Neonatal Amygdala Connectivity and Emerging Internalizing Behaviors.
Article in Biological psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 106 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
106 citing papers in PubMed, 204 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Neuropsychological Disorders and Its Intergenerational Transmission Mechanisms.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Physiological Mechanisms in Pregnancy and Their Relevance to the Clinical Management of Perinatal Mental Illness.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Associations between Prenatal Perceived Stress and Child Autism-Related Traits in the ECHO Cohort.The Journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Neonatal amygdala microstructure and structural connectivity are associated with autistic traits at 2 years of age.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Article
- Science with Seymour Levine: on glucocorticoid action from birth to senescence.Neurobiology of stress · 2026Article
- The intersection of neuroscience, socioeconomic status, and preterm birth.Pediatric research · 2026Review
- Maternal adversity and peripheral proinflammatory cytokine concentrations in pregnancy.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Prenatal maternal psychological distress is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in toddlers with congenital heart disease.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Prenatal exposure to extreme heat and autism in children.The Science of the total environment · 2026Article
- Perinatal HPA axis regulation and offspring neuropsychiatric development: mechanisms, developmental trajectories, and clinical implications.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Early-life neural correlates of behavioral inhibition and anxiety risk.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Neuroplacentology of stress: Novel frontiers linking maternal mental health to offspring neurodevelopment.Neurobiology of stress · 2026Review
- Histological investigation of amygdala in horned and hornless ewes.Veterinary research forum : an international quarterly journal · 2026Article
- The Effect of Maternal Stress on 11beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Activity During Pregnancy: Evidence for Potential Pregnancy Complications and Consequences on Fetal Development and Metabolism.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Timing sensitivity of prenatal cortisol exposure and neurocognitive development.Development and psychopathology · 2025Article
- Article
- Association of placental mitochondrial DNA mutations on infant negative affectivity: modifying effects of maternal lifetime stress and infant sex.Biology of sex differences · 2025Article
- A Comprehensive Overview of Stress, Resilience, and Neuroplasticity Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Involvement of virus infections and antiviral agents in schizophrenia.Psychological medicine · 2025Review
- Transcriptomic Alteration in the Brain and Gut of Offspring Following Prenatal Exposure to Corticosterone.Experimental neurobiology · 2025Article
46 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal cortisol during pregnancy has the potential to influence rapidly developing fetal brain systems that are commonly altered in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Research examining maternal cortisol concentrations across pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment proximal to birth is needed to advance understanding in this area and lead to insight into the etiology of these disorders.
methodsParticipants were 70 adult women recruited during early pregnancy and their infants born after 34 weeks gestation. Maternal cortisol concentrations were assessed serially over 4 days in early, mid, and late gestation. Resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging of the neonatal amygdala was examined. Mothers reported on children's internalizing behavior problems at 24 months of age.
resultsMaternal cortisol concentrations during pregnancy were significantly associated with neonatal amygdala connectivity in a sex-specific manner. Elevated maternal cortisol was associated with stronger amygdala connectivity to brain regions involved in sensory processing and integration, as well as the default mode network in girls, and with weaker connectivity to these brain regions in boys. Elevated maternal cortisol was associated with higher internalizing symptoms in girls only, and this association was mediated by stronger neonatal amygdala connectivity.
conclusionsNormative variation in maternal cortisol during pregnancy is associated with the coordinated functioning of the amygdala soon after birth in a sex-specific manner. The identified pathway from maternal cortisol to higher internalizing symptoms in girls via alterations in neonatal amygdala connectivity may be relevant for the etiology of sex differences in internalizing psychiatric disorders, which are more prevalent in women.
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