Bridging the Gap - Exploring the Role of Cortisol on The Effects of Prenatal Depression on Child Neurocognition

Prenatal depression is a potentially debilitating experience that can affect both birthing parent and child. The current study investigates the role of cortisol, a hormone well-known for its involvement in the stress response, in the association between prenatal depression and child neurocognitive outcomes. Specifically, we assessed child executive function and cortical thickness in the right frontal and prefrontal cortices. Pregnant participants completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to assess prenatal depression, and we examined prenatal cortisol using salivary cortisol samples. Children completed six executive function tasks spanning the three domains of executive functioning and underwent magnetic resonance imaging to assess their cortical thickness. Our results indicate that prenatal depression during pregnancy, particularly early pregnancy, has the potential to adversely impact mental flexibility in children ages 3 – 4 years. Furthermore, an elevated prenatal cortisol awakening response (CAR) was related to timing-specific and region-specific cortical thinning in the right frontal cortex of children ages 3 – 7 years. Lastly, increased CAR in the third trimester was associated with better mental flexibility outcomes. Prenatal cortisol did not mediate the relationship between prenatal depression and child cortical thickness or executive function outcomes in our sample. Future research directions are discussed. Our study emphasizes the importance of caring for prenatal mental health in improving outcomes for child neurocognition.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Medicine – Medical Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Cumming School of Medicine

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Cattani, Danielle

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Giesbrecht, Gerald

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Lebel, Catherine
• Campbell, Tavis

• Prenatal depression
• Executive function
• Cortisol
• fetal development
• fetal programming
• DOHaD
• Cognition
• Child health
• Prenatal mental health

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40165

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/115129