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Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to one in five and negatively affects mothers, birthing parents, and their infants. The impact of PPD exposure on infant emotion regulation (ER) may be particularly harmful given its associations with later psychiatric problems. It remains unclear if treating maternal PPD can improve infant ER. To examine the impact of a nine-week peer-delivered group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on infant ER assessed across physiological and behavioral levels. Seventy-three mother-infant dyads were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial from 2018 to 2020. Mothers/birthing parents were randomized to the experimental group or waitlist control group. Measures of infant ER were collected at baseline (T1) and nine weeks later (T2). Infant ER was assessed using two physiological measures (frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and High Frequency-Heart Rate Variability (HF-HRV)), and parental-report of infant temperament. Experimental group infants displayed more adaptive changes in both physiological markers of infant ER from T1 to T2 (FAA (F(1,56) = 4.16, p =.046) and HF-HRV (F(1,28.1) = 5.57, p =.03)) than those in the waitlist control group. Despite improvements in maternal PPD, no differences were noted in infant temperament from T1 to T2. A limited sample size, potential lack of generalizability of our results to other populations, and an absence of long-term data collection. A scalable intervention designed for those with PPD may be capable of adaptively improving infant ER. Replication in larger samples is needed to determine if maternal treatment can help disrupt the transmission of psychiatric risk from mothers/birthing parents to their infants. • Mothers were treated with a nine-week peer-delivered group cognitive behavioral therapy intervention. • Maternal treatment led to adaptive changes in two neurophysiological markers of infant emotion regulation. • A scalable, task-shifted maternal intervention may be capable of adaptively improving infant ER. • Maternal treatment may disrupt the transmission of psychiatric risk from mothers/birthing parents to their infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Optimal maternal nutrition during pregnancy has been linked to better cognitive and behavioral development in children. However, its influence on the effects of suboptimal postnatal exposures like reduced stimulation and support in the home is not known. Objectives To examine the effect of maternal pregnancy diet on executive function and/or behavioral development in children raised in suboptimal home environments. Methods Data were provided by 808 mother–infant dyads from the Canadian Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals–Child Development study. Maternal pregnancy diet was self-reported using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 questionnaire. Stimulation and support in the home was assessed using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) when children were 3–4 y old. Child executive function was reported by mothers at this age using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning–Preschool Edition, and child behavior was assessed using the Behavior Assessment System for Children–2nd Edition. We examined the interaction of maternal pregnancy diet and postnatal HOME scores on child executive function and behavior using linear regression adjusted for maternal education, postpartum depression, prepregnancy BMI, and smoking. Results Maternal pregnancy diet was associated with an increasingly positive association with child working memory (β: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.82, 3.41; P =  0.001), planning (β: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.38, 2.84; P =  0.007), and adaptability (β: –0.13; 95% CI: –1.72, –0.08; P =  0.032) as levels of postnatal stimulation decreased. Conclusions The positive association of maternal pregnancy diet quality and executive function and adaptability in 3- to 4-y-olds appeared to increase with decreasing levels of postnatal stimulation and support. These results suggest that overall maternal pregnancy diet could be linked to better child neurodevelopment in families experiencing barriers to providing stimulation and support to children in their home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This is the first study to examine associations between prenatal fluoride exposure and disruptions to visual acuity and cardiac autonomic function in infants. • In this Canadian pregnancy cohort, prenatal fluoride exposure was linked to poorer visual acuity. • Prenatal fluoride exposure was linked to lower heart rate variability (root mean square of successive differences) • Results suggest that prenatal fluoride exposure may be associated with poorer central and peripheral markers of nervous system functioning in infant offspring. Prenatal fluoride exposure can have adverse effects on children's development; however, associations with visual and cardiac autonomic nervous system functioning are unknown. We examined associations between prenatal fluoride exposure and visual acuity and heart rate variability (HRV) in 6-month-old infants. We used data from Canadian mother-infant pairs participating in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) cohort. We estimated prenatal fluoride exposure using: i) fluoride concentration in drinking water (mg/L), ii) maternal urinary fluoride adjusted for specific gravity (MUF SG ; mg/L) and averaged across pregnancy, and iii) maternal fluoride intake (µg/kg/day) from consumption of water, tea, and coffee, adjusted for maternal body weight (kg). We used multivariable linear regression to examine associations between each measure of fluoride exposure and Teller Acuity Card visual acuity scores (n = 435) and assessed HRV (n = 400) using two measures: root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and the standard deviation of N-N intervals (SDNN) measured at 6-months of age. Median (IQR) values for water fluoride, MUF SG , and daily fluoride intake were 0.20 (IQR: 0.13–0.56) mg/L; 0.44 (0.28–0.70) mg/L and 4.82 (2.58–10.83) µg/kg/day, respectively. After adjustment for confounding variables, water fluoride concentration was associated with poorer infant visual acuity (B = - 1.51; 95 % CI: −2.14,-0.88) and HRV as indicated by lower RMSSD (B = -1.60; 95 % CI: −2.74,-0.46) but not SDNN. Maternal fluoride intake was also associated with poorer visual acuity (B = -0.82; 95 % CI: −1.35,-0.29) and lower RMSSD (B = -1.22; 95 % CI: −2.15,-0.30). No significant associations were observed between MUF SG and visual acuity or HRV. Fluoride in drinking water was associated with reduced visual acuity and alterations in cardiac autonomic function in infancy, adding to the growing body of evidence suggesting fluoride's developmental neurotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many pregnant women are consuming diets of poor overall quality. Although many studies have linked poor prenatal diet quality to an increased risk of specific diseases in offspring, it is not known if exposure to poor prenatal diet affects core neurophysiological regulatory systems in offspring known to lie upstream of multiple diseases.Objective: We aimed to examine the association between prenatal diet quality and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in infants at 6 mo of age.Methods: Data from 400 women (aged >18 y, with uncomplicated pregnancies) and their infants participating in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals-Infant Development cohort were used to investigate links between prenatal diet quality and infant ANS function at 6 mo of age. Prenatal diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (2010), calculated from a validated FFQ completed by women during the first trimester. Infant ANS function was measured using 2 assessments of heart rate variability (HRV) including root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and SD of N-N intervals (SDNN). Associations were analyzed before and after adjustment for socioeconomic status, maternal depression symptoms, maternal cardiometabolic dysfunction, breastfeeding, and prenatal smoking.Results: Poorer prenatal diet quality was associated with lower infant HRV assessed using RMSSD (B: 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.13; R2 = 0.013) and SDNN (B: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.35; R2 = 0.011). These associations remained significant after adjustment for confounding variables [RMSSD: B: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.003, 0.18; squared semipartial correlation (sp2) = 0.14 and SDNN B: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.49; sp2 = 0.13].Conclusions: In a large cohort study, poorer prenatal diet quality was associated with lower offspring HRV, a marker of decreased capacity of the ANS to respond adaptively to challenge. Therefore, poor prenatal diet may play a significant role in the programming of multiple organ systems and could increase general susceptibility to disease in offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The brain rapidly develops during the prenatal period; therefore, intrauterine conditions can affect neurodevelopment, behavior and health across the lifespan. The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis posits that physiological alterations are made by the fetus to adapt to prenatal conditions. Research examining links between perinatal adversity and neurodevelopment has focused mainly on the risk for mental health problems. However, these disorders are likely the product of multiple subtle changes in the brain occurring in response to intrauterine stress, alterations that may have important implications for the development of personality. Here, we review the evidence that bears on the question of if and how prenatal conditions influence personality development. We hypothesize that prenatal conditions lead to alterations in systems mediating stress and reward sensitivity and effortful control, changes that may affect personality traits and their stability across time. Understanding how the prenatal environment influences personality development can help to advance theories of personality development and our understanding of normal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prenatal exposure to maternal metabolic complications has been linked to offspring neurodevelopmental problems. However, no studies investigating these links have examined the role of maternal prenatal diet.Aims: To determine if prenatal exposure to maternal adiposity or hyperglycemia is associated with neurodevelopmental problems in 3-4 year old children, and if links persist following adjustment for confounding variables, including prenatal diet.Method: 808 mother-child pairs from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals-Child Development Plus cohort were used to examine associations between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), hyperglycemia and offspring verbal, performance and full-scale IQ scores, as well as internalizing and externalizing problems. Associations were examined before and after adjustment for prenatal diet along with home environment, maternal depression, education and prenatal smoking. Semi-partial correlations were examined post-hoc to assess the impact of each confounder in the adjusted models.Results: In the unadjusted models, BMI and hyperglycemia predicted lower verbal and full-scale IQ. BMI was also linked to externalizing problems. However, associations were not significant after adjustment. In adjusted models, post-hoc analysis revealed that prenatal diet and home environment accounted for significant variance in verbal and full-scale IQ. The home environment and maternal depression accounted for significant variance in externalizing problems.Conclusion: In the adjusted models, maternal metabolic complications were not associated with offspring neurodevelopment. Even while adjusting for well-known risk factors for adverse offspring cognition (home environment, maternal depression), we show for the first time that maternal prenatal diet is an important confounder of the links between maternal metabolic complications and offspring cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Face-to-Face Still-Face (FFSF) task is a validated and commonly used observational measure of mother-infant socio-emotional interactions. With the ascendence of deep learning-based facial emotion recognition, it is possible that common complex tasks, such as the coding of FFSF videos, could be coded with a high degree of accuracy by deep neural networks (DNNs). The primary objective of this study was to test the accuracy of four DNN image classification models against the coding of infant engagement conducted by two trained independent manual raters. 68 mother-infant dyads completed the FFSF task at three timepoints. Two trained independent raters undertook second-by-second manual coding of infant engagement into one of four classes: 1) positive affect, 2) neutral affect, 3) object/environment engagement, and 4) negative affect. Training four different DNN models on 40,000 images, we achieved a maximum accuracy of 99.5% on image classification of infant frames taken from recordings of the FFSF task with a maximum inter-rater reliability (Cohen's κ-value) of 0.993. This study inherits all sampling and experimental limitations of the original study from which the data was taken, namely a relatively small and primarily White sample. Based on the extremely high classification accuracy, these findings suggest that DNNs could be used to code infant engagement in FFSF recordings. DNN image classification models may also have the potential to improve the efficiency of coding all observational tasks with applications across multiple fields of human behavior research. • The FFSF Task aims to assess critical information on mother-infant interaction patterns. • DNNs can accurately codify infant behavior in the context of the FFSF Task. • DNNs have the potential to improve the efficiency of coding commonly used observational tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]