EuroSTRESS - PELS
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
Animal studies have shown that early life stress at moments when critical developmental processes are parts of the nervous system or neuronal circuits involved in HPA-axis functioning (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex), may induce epigenetic changes that alter later function of the HPA axis and cause more enhanced stress sensitivity and impaired cognitive and emotional development, especially in genetically|individuals. Although there is now good evidence that prenatal stress can have a long lasting effect in humans there have been no studies of any interaction with underlying genetic factors, which may explain why some are more sensitive or resilient than others. The main goal of our CRP is to delineate specific risk factors prenatal stress exposure that can result in adverse neurodevelopment of the child. We have designed two|studies one of which involves recruiting a new cohort in which each of the four countries will follow an identical protocol and the second of which involves collecting DNA and new questionnaire data in our existing cohorts. feature of the first study is that we examine stress in early and late pregnancy to identify critical periods their associated outcomes. In the second study we maximize the value of existing samples within each country examine differences in exposure and outcomes at various child ages. The primary aims of our CRP are (the contribution of various types of antenatal maternal stress, including work stress and antenatal maternal level, for offspring birth outcomes and neurodevelopment in early childhood (2) to determine whether prenatal exposure interacts with measures of genetic susceptibility (i.e. specific candidate genes related to HPA-axis functioning), in predicting offspring neurodevelopmental outcome Results of our CRP may lead to prevention intervention strategies focusing on minimizing the risks prenatal stress bears for later mental health.|
People |
ORCID iD |
Vivette Glover (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Blakeley PM
(2013)
Maternal prenatal symptoms of depression and down regulation of placental monoamine oxidase A expression.
in Journal of psychosomatic research
Glover V
(2011)
Annual Research Review: Prenatal stress and the origins of psychopathology: an evolutionary perspective.
in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines
Hompes T
(2013)
Investigating the influence of maternal cortisol and emotional state during pregnancy on the DNA methylation status of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) promoter region in cord blood.
in Journal of psychiatric research
O'Donnell KJ
(2012)
Maternal prenatal anxiety and downregulation of placental 11ß-HSD2.
in Psychoneuroendocrinology
Description | Early Champions |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | Influencing the Early Champions advisory group which has influenced government policy for early intervention (pregnancy -2 years) to improve later outcomes for the child. |
Description | Graham Allen MP review on Early intervention |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | Had impact of including the importance of starting in pregnancy for early intervention. |
Description | website |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Title | PELS data |
Description | psychomteric data and biological samples from pregnant women and their one year old infants from 3 European sites |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of Data/Biological Samples |
Year Produced | 2010 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Not yet analysed |
Description | Brain MRI |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | MRC Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (SDGP) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Supply of cohort of children with data on prenatal stress and in utero cortisol |
Collaborator Contribution | MRI studies on 6-9 year olds and prenatal stress |
Impact | Found that prenatal stress is associated with alterations in structure of spcific tract from limbic system to fronatal cortex, similar to that found in conduct disorder. paer submitted to Cortex |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | PELS Bea Vane den Bergh |
Organisation | University of Tilburg |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have collected similar data from pregnant women and their one year old children |
Collaborator Contribution | They have collected data on maternal emotional state and work stress during pregnancy, maternal saliva cortisol and amylase and child cognitive and emotional development at one year. This is comparable to our data and we will be able to analyse it both together and separately. |
Impact | The data is currently being analysed. It will result in several peer reviewed publications. The work is multi-disciplary involving both psychologists and biologists |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | PELS Stephan Claes |
Organisation | University of Leuven |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have collected similar psychometric data from mothers and children which can be analysed both separately and together. WE have also collected DNA from both mothers and children in our cohort which they are analysing. |
Collaborator Contribution | They have collected data on the emotional and work stress of pregnant women, saliva cortisol and amylase and the cognitive and emotional development of their one year old children. They are also analysing DNA from mothers and children from our and their samples for selected SNPs. |
Impact | We are all currently analysing the data. It will results in several peer reviewed publications |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | Begin before Birth website |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The website is intended for the general public, schools, universities and health professionals. It is to explain about the importance of the emotional state of the mother during pregnancy for the later outcome for the child. It has had over 450,000 hits from around the world and is being used in schools, colleges and in training health professionals. It is going to be used in schools soon . It has been very well received health visitors who are going to cirulate it among their members. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |