Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant subcortical brain volume

Catherine H. Demers; Benjamin L. Hankin; Ella-Marie P. Hennessey; Mercedes Hoeflich Haase; Maria M. Bagonis; Sun Hyung Kim; John H. Gilmore; M. Camille Hoffman; Martin A. Styner; Elysia Poggi Davis

Neurobiology of Stress (Nov 2022)

Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant subcortical brain volume

Catherine H. Demers,
Benjamin L. Hankin,
Ella-Marie P. Hennessey,
Mercedes Hoeflich Haase,
Maria M. Bagonis,
Sun Hyung Kim,
John H. Gilmore,
M. Camille Hoffman,
Martin A. Styner,
Elysia Poggi Davis

Affiliations

Catherine H. Demers: Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Corresponding author. University of Denver, Department of Psychology, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO, 80208-3500, USA.
Benjamin L. Hankin: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
Ella-Marie P. Hennessey: Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
Mercedes Hoeflich Haase: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Maria M. Bagonis: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; PrimeNeuro, Durham, NC, USA
Sun Hyung Kim: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
John H. Gilmore: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
M. Camille Hoffman: Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
Martin A. Styner: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Elysia Poggi Davis: Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 21
p. 100487

Abstract

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Background: A large body of research supports the deleterious effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on disease susceptibility and health for both the exposed individual and the next generation. It is likely that there is an intergenerational transmission of risk from mother to child; however, the mechanisms through which such risk is conferred remain unknown. The current study evaluated the association between maternal ACEs, neonatal brain development of the amygdala and hippocampus, and later infant negative emotionality at six months of age. Methods: The sample included 85 mother-infant dyads (44 female infants) from a longitudinal study. Maternal ACEs were assessed with the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) and neonatal hippocampal and amygdala volume was assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Infant negative emotionality was assessed at 6 months using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ). Results: Multivariate analyses demonstrated that maternal ACEs were associated with bilateral amygdala volume (F(2,78) = 3.697,p = .029). Specifically, higher maternal ACEs were associated with smaller left (β = -0.220, t(79) = -2.661, p = .009, R2= 0.494, and right (β = −0.167, t(79) = -2.043, p = .044, R2= 0.501) amygdala volume. No significant association between maternal ACEs and bilateral hippocampal volume (F(2,78) = 0.215,p = .0807) was found. Follow-up regression analyses demonstrated that both high maternal ACEs and smaller left amygdala volume were associated with higher infant negative emotionality at six months of age (β = .232, p = .040, R2= 0.094, and β = −0.337, p = .022, R2= 0.16, respectively) although statistically significant mediation of this effect was not observed (Indirect effect = 0.0187, 95% CI [-0.0016-0.0557]). Conclusions: Maternal ACEs are associated with both newborn amygdala volume and subsequent infant negative emotionality. These findings linking maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant brain development and temperament provide evidence to support the intergenerational transmission of adversity from mother to child.

Published in Neurobiology of Stress

ISSN: 2352-2895 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry: Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system; Science: Physiology: Neurophysiology and neuropsychology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/neurobiology-of-stress/

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