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Maternal immune-related conditions during pregnancy may be a risk factor for neuropsychiatric problems in offspring throughout childhood and adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2020

Shrujna Patel Open the ORCID record for Shrujna Patel [Opens in a new window] ,
Matthew N. Cooper ,
Hannah Jones ,
Andrew J.O. Whitehouse ,
Russell C. Dale  and
Adam J. Guastella
Shrujna Patel
Affiliation:
Autism Clinic for Translational Research, Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Matthew N. Cooper
Affiliation:
Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Hannah Jones
Affiliation:
Autism Clinic for Translational Research, Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Andrew J.O. Whitehouse
Affiliation:
Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Russell C. Dale
Affiliation:
Autism Clinic for Translational Research, Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Adam J. Guastella*
Affiliation:
Autism Clinic for Translational Research, Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Adam J. Guastella, E-mail: adam.guastella@sydney.edu.au
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Abstract

Background

Emerging research suggests that maternal immune activation (MIA) may be associated with an increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes in offspring. Using data from the Raine Study, we investigated whether MIA during pregnancy was associated with increased behavioral and emotional problems in offspring longitudinally across development.

Methods

Mothers (Generation 1; N = 1905) were classified into the following categories: AAAE (Asthma/Allergy/Atopy/Eczema; N = 1267); infection (during pregnancy; N = 1082); no AAAE or infection (N = 301). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was administered for offspring at ages 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17. Generalized estimating equations were used to investigate the effect of maternal immune status on CBCL scores.

Results

AAAE conditions were associated with significant increases in CBCL Total (β 2.49; CI 1.98–3.00), Externalizing (β 1.54; CI 1.05–2.03), and Internalizing (β 2.28; CI 1.80–2.76) scores. Infection conditions were also associated with increased Total (β 1.27; CI 0.77–1.78), Externalizing (β 1.18; CI 0.70–1.66), and Internalizing (β 0.76; CI 0.28–1.24) scores. Exposure to more than one AAAE and/or infection condition was associated with a greater elevation in CBCL scores than single exposures in males and females. Females showed greater increases on the Internalizing scale from MIA, while males showed similar increases on both Internalizing and Externalizing scales.

Conclusions

MIA was associated with increased behavioral and emotional problems in offspring throughout childhood and adolescence. This highlights the need to understand the relationship between MIA, fetal development, and long-term outcomes, with the potential to advance early identification and intervention strategies.

Keywords

ADHDanxietyautismdepressioninflammationneurodevelopment
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 51 , Issue 16 , December 2021 , pp. 2904 - 2914
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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