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Perinatal perceived stress can contribute to worse health outcomes for the parent–child dyad. Given the emerging relationship between the microbiota-gut-brain axis and stress, this study sought to elucidate connections between bowel symptoms and the gut microbiome in relation to perceived stress at three time points in the perinatal period: two during pregnancy and one postpartum. Ninety-five pregnant individuals participated in a prospective cohort study from April 2017 to November 2019. Researchers assessed Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS); bowel symptoms (according to the IBS Questionnaire); psychiatrist assessment of new onset or exacerbated depression and anxiety; and fecal samples analyzed for alpha diversity (measures of gut microbiome diversity utilizing Shannon, Observed OTUs, and Faith’s PD) at each timepoint. Covariates included weeks of gestation and weeks postpartum. PSS scores were divided into “Perceived Self-Efficacy” and “Perceived Helplessness.” Increased gut microbial diversity was associated with decreased bowel symptoms, decreased overall perceived stress, increased ability to cope with adversity, and decreased distress in the postpartum period. This study found a significant association between a less diverse microbial community, lower self-efficacy early in pregnancy, and greater bowel symptoms and perceived helplessness later in the perinatal period, relationships that may ultimately point to novel diagnostic methods and interventions for perceived stress based on the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Graphical Abstract

Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are at heightened risk for exposure to stressful life events which can lead to increased sensitivity to stress and a dysregulated stress response, which are in turn associated with poor long-term functioning. Stress reactivity is thus a promising treatment target in the early stages of SSD. Integrated-Coping Awareness Therapy (I-CAT) is a manualized intervention integrating mindfulness and positive psychology to target a dysregulated stress response in SSD. The current study is a preliminary randomized-controlled trial (RCT) comparing I-CAT (n = 18) with treatment as usual (TAU; n = 18) in individuals in the early stages of SSD. I-CAT was hypothesized to be more effective than TAU on primary outcomes: increasing positive emotions, decreasing negative emotions, reducing stress, and improving functioning and quality of life; and secondary outcomes: reducing symptoms, increasing mindfulness, and improving overall well-being. Excellent therapy attendance rates, low study attrition, and positive participant feedback demonstrated that I-CAT was a feasible and well-tolerated psychosocial intervention. Results suggest I-CAT led to greater reduction in symptoms (i.e., overall, negative, and disorganized symptoms), increased observational mindfulness, increased endorsement of a sense of purpose in life, and preservation of work abilities and school social functioning compared with TAU. Future work should replicate and extend these findings in a larger-scale RCT.

Prenatal drug exposure (PDE) is known to affect fetal brain development with documented long‐term consequences. Most studies of PDE effects on the brain are based on animal models. In this study, based on a large sample of 133 human neonates and leveraging a novel linear mixed‐effect model designed for intersubject variability analyses, we studied the effects of six prenatally exposed drugs (i.e., nicotine, alcohol, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, marijuana, cocaine, and opioids) on neonatal whole‐brain functional organization and compared them with five other critical nondrug variables (i.e., gestational age at birth/scan, sex, birth weight, and maternal depression). The behavioral implications were also examined. Magnitude‐wise, through summing across individual drug effects, our results highlighted ~5% of whole‐brain functional connections (FCs) affected by PDE, which was highly comparable with the combined effects of the five nond rug variables. Spatially, the detected PDE effects featured drug‐specific patterns with a common bias in higher‐order brain regions/networks. Regarding brain–behavioral relationships, the detected connections showing significant drug effects also demonstrated significant correlations with 3‐month behavioral outcomes. Further mediation analyses supported a mediation role of the detected brain FCs between PDE status and cognitive/language outcomes. Our findings of widespread, and spatially biased PDE effect patterns coupled with significant behavioral implications may hopefully stimulate more human‐based studies into effects of PDE on long‐term developmental outcomes., In this study, based on a large sample of 133 human neonates and leveraging a novel linear mixed‐effect model designed for intersubject variability analyses, we studied the effects of six prenatally exposed drugs (i.e., nicotine, alcohol, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, marijuana, cocaine, and opioids) on neonatal whole‐brain functional organization and compared them with five other critical nondrug variables (i.e., gestational age at birth/scan, sex, birth weight, and maternal depression).Our findings of widespread, and spatially biased drug effects coupled with significant behavioral implications may hopefully stimulate more human‐based studies into effects of Prenatal drug exposure on long‐term developmental outcomes.

Life history theory and the adaptive calibration model state that characteristics of one's early environment influence individual differences in both neuroendocrine reactivity to stress and sexual risk-taking behavior. However, few studies have directly examined the relationship between neuroendocrine reactivity to stress and risky sexual behavior. This study used multilevel modeling to test whether cortisol reactivity and recovery in response to laboratory stress were associated with women's history of sexual behavior and their sexual arousability in response to laboratory sexual stimuli. Participants were 65 women (35% heterosexual, 44% bisexual, and 21% lesbian) who completed two laboratory sessions, two weeks apart. Women's self-reported sexual arousability to sexual stimuli interacted with their sexual abuse history to predict their trajectories of cortisol stress reactivity and recovery. Cortisol reactivity and recovery were not associated with women's sexual risk taking, such as the age of sexual debut, sociosexuality, or lifetime number of sexual partners.

Maternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern due to the severe negative impact on maternal and child health and well-being. In this study, we aimed to identify genes associated with PPD. To do this, we investigated genome-wide gene expression profiles of pregnant women during their third trimester of pregnancy and tested the association of gene expression with perinatal depressive symptoms. A total of 137 women from a cohort from the University of North Carolina, USA were assessed. The main phenotypes analysed were Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at 2 months postpartum and PPD (binary yes/no) based on an EPDS cutoff of 10. Illumina NextSeq500/550 transcriptomic sequencing from whole blood was analysed using the edgeR package. We identified 71 genes significantly associated with postpartum depression scores at 2 months, after correction for multiple testing at 5% FDR. These included several interesting candidates including TNFRSF17, previously reported to be significantly upregulated in women with PPD and MMP8, a matrix metalloproteinase gene, associated with depression in a genome-wide association study. Functional annotation of differentially expressed genes revealed an enrichment of immune response-related biological processes. Additional analysis of genes associated with changes in depressive symptoms from recruitment to 2 months postpartum identified 66 genes significant at an FDR of 5%. Of these genes, 33 genes were also associated with depressive symptoms at 2 months postpartum. Comparing the results with previous studies, we observed that 15.4% of genes associated with PPD in this study overlapped with 700 core maternal genes that showed significant gene expression changes across multiple brain regions (P = 7.9e-05) and 29–53% of the genes were also associated with estradiol changes in a pharmacological model of depression (P values range = 1.2e-4–2.1e-14). In conclusion, we identified novel genes and validated genes previously associated with oestrogen sensitivity in PPD. These results point towards the role of an altered immune transcriptomic landscape as a vulnerability factor for PPD.

Purpose: We sought to determine the role of depression and anxiety in breastfeeding cessation. Materials and Methods: Participants underwent a baseline visit with a structured clinical interview in the third trimester of pregnancy. Monthly phone interviews assessed current mood symptoms and infant feeding status. We assessed the association between baseline mood and infant feeding outcomes using Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusting for infant feeding intention and sociodemographic confounders. Results: We enrolled 222 mother–infant dyads in late pregnancy, of whom 206 completed assessments through 12 months postpartum. We enriched our study with symptomatic women by enrolling 87 women with current depression or anxiety (Current), 64 women with a history of depression or anxiety (Past), and 71 women with no psychiatric history (Never). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, baseline diagnosis was not associated with breastfeeding outcome, but baseline symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Inventory ≥11) or anxiety (Spielberger State Anxiety ≥40) were associated with earlier introduction of formula (depression: adj hazard ratio [HR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–2.30; anxiety: 1.70, 95% CI 1.01–2.87); and any cessation of breastfeeding (depression: adj HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.23–3.31; anxiety: 1.83, 95% CI 1.00–3.33), as were depression symptoms among women who were being treated with antidepressants, compared with untreated asymptomatic women (formula: adj HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.29–4.02; cessation: 2.32, 95% CI 1.17–4.61). History of childhood trauma (adj HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.12–1.61), disordered eating symptoms (adj HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02–1.46), and poor sleep quality in pregnancy (adj HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.09–1.60) were independently associated with earlier introduction of formula. Conclusions: Baseline mood symptoms were independently associated with earlier formula introduction and cessation of breastfeeding. History of childhood trauma, disordered eating symptoms and poor sleep quality were associated with earlier formula introduction. Targeted support may enable women with these symptoms to achieve their feeding goals.

Previous research suggests a dynamic regulatory relationship between oxytocin and cortisol, but the specific nature of this relationship and its context-specificity have not been fully specified. In the present study, we repeatedly assessed both salivary oxytocin and salivary cortisol during two experimental sessions (one inducing sexual arousal and one inducing psychological stress), conducted two weeks apart with the same group of 63 female participants. Baseline cortisol and baseline oxytocin were significantly correlated in both sessions. Cortisol levels showed significantly different patterns of change during the stress assessment than during the sexual arousal assessment, but oxytocin showed similar patterns of change across both assessments. Greater cortisol stress reactivity predicted higher oxytocin levels immediately after the stressor, but a different pattern emerged during the arousal assessment: Greater oxytocin arousal reactivity predicted attenuated post-arousal reductions in cortisol. For both cortisol and oxytocin, individual differences in women's reactivity to sexual arousal did not predict their reactivity to psychological stress. These findings contribute new insights regarding associations between cortisol and oxytocin reactivity and recovery in different psychological contexts.

The past decades witnessed a surge of interest in neuroimaging study of normal and abnormal early brain development. Structural and functional studies of normal early brain development revealed massive structural maturation as well as sequential, coordinated, and hierarchical emergence of functional networks during the infancy period, providing a great foundation for the investigation of abnormal early brain development mechanisms. Indeed, studies of altered brain development associated with either genetic or environmental risks emerged and thrived. In this paper, we will review selected studies of genetic and environmental risks that have been relatively more extensively investigated-familial risks, candidate risk genes, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on the genetic side; maternal mood disorders and prenatal drug exposures on the environmental side. Emerging studies on environment-gene interactions will also be reviewed. Our goal was not to perform an exhaustive review of all studies in the field but to leverage some representative ones to summarize the current state, point out potential limitations, and elicit discussions on important future directions.

Although stress is a strong risk factor for poor health, especially for women, it remains unclear how stress affects the key neurohormones cortisol and oxytocin, which influence stress-related risk and resilience. Whereas cortisol mediates energy mobilization during stress, oxytocin has anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and analgesic effects that support social connection and survival across the lifespan. However, how these neurohormones interrelate and are associated with cognitive control of emotional information during stress remains unclear. To address these issues, we recruited 37 college-aged women (M(age) = 19.19, SD = 1.58) and randomly assigned each to a one-hour experimental session consisting of either an acute stress (emotionally stressful video) or control (non-stressful video) condition in a cross-sectional manner across the semester. Salivary cortisol and oxytocin samples were collected at baseline and after the video, at which point participants also completed measures assessing affect and an emotional Stroop task. As hypothesized, the emotional stressor induced negative emotions that were associated with significant elevations in cortisol and faster Stroop reaction times. Moreover, higher baseline oxytocin predicted greater positive affect after the stressor and also better cognitive accuracy on the Stroop. Analyses examining the naturalistic stress effects revealed that basal oxytocin levels rose steeply three weeks before the semester’s end, followed by rising cortisol levels one week later, with both neurohormones remaining elevated through the very stressful final exam period. Considered together, these data suggest that women’s collective experiences of stress may be potentially buffered by a synchronous oxytocin surge that enhances cognitive accuracy and reduces stress “when the going gets tough”.

Exploration of photoplethysmography (PPG), a technique that can be translated to the clinic, has the potential to assess the autonomic nervous system (ANS) through heart rate variable (HRV) in pregnant individuals. This novel study explores the complexity of mental health of individuals in a clinical sample responding to a task in late pregnancy; finding those with several types of past or current anxiety disorders, greater trait anxiety, or greater exposure to childhood traumatic events had significantly different HRV findings from the others in the cohort. Lower high frequency (HF), a measure of parasympathetic activity, was found for women who met the criteria for the history of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) (p = 0.004) compared with women who did not meet the criteria for OCD, and for women exposed to greater than five childhood traumatic events (p = 0.006) compared with those exposed to four or less childhood traumatic events. Conversely higher low frequency (LF), a measure thought to be impacted by sympathetic system effects, and the LF/HF ratio was found for those meeting criteria for a panic disorder (p = 0.006), meeting criteria for social phobia (p = 0.002), had elevated trait anxiety (p = 0.006), or exposure to greater than five childhood traumatic events (p = 0.004). This study indicates further research is needed to understand the role of PPG and in assessing ANS functioning in late pregnancy. Study of the impact of lower parasympathetic functioning and higher sympathetic functioning separately and in conjunction at baseline and in relation to tasks during late pregnancy has the potential to identify individuals that require more support and direct intervention.

The Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis regulates hormonal responses to stress in both humans and animals and is dysregulated in a wide range of psychiatric disorders. There is strong evidence from rodent studies that gut microbial composition influences HPA axis development. In humans, variation in the gut microbiome has been associated with several psychological domains including depression and cognitive development, but studies focused on HPA axis development are still lacking. We tested whether differences in microbial composition are associated with HPA axis reactivity in a pilot study of 34 healthy human infants. HPA axis reactivity was assessed by measuring salivary cortisol in samples taken both before and after a heel stick, and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used for identification and relative quantification of bacterial taxa. Subjects' alpha diversity levels showed a moderate positive association with their cortisol reactivity at one month of age. Exploratory genus-level analyses suggest that Staphylococcus, Prevotella, and genera in the order Lachnospiraceae may be related to cortisol reactivity at one month as well. The current study gives support for the endocrine pathway as a potential mediator in the microbiome-gut-brain axis during infancy, and as such provides motivation for future clinical work to support the development of stress-response systems through the manipulation of gut microbes.

The literature concerning biological influences on positive social behavior shows that, in nonthreatening contexts, tonic oxytocin (OT) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) each predict positive, affiliative behaviors toward certain others and are associated with positive health outcomes. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the degree to which the positive affiliative correlates of OT and RSA can be distinguished when observed at the level of everyday life events. A sample of midlife adults (N = 73) provided tonic indices of these biological characteristics, as well as perceptions of a variety of common life events alongside reports of their emotions during those events. OT and RSA each independently moderated the link between perceived event sociality and positive emotions, whereas only RSA predicted the probability of being with other people during an event. These findings suggest that OT and RSA may each be linked to positive social experiences in complementary yet distinct ways. (PsycINFO Database Record

In this research, we tested hypotheses about the role of oxytocin in adult human bonding. Inspired by revisiting the research on pair bonding in microtine voles that fueled psychologists’ interest in the role of oxytocin in social life, we drew on recent theory from affective and relationship science to identify a well-defined bonding context for human romantic relationships. We then paired these behaviors and subjective psychological responses with a measure of naturally circulating oxytocin. In 129 romantically involved adults whose partner expressed gratitude to them in the lab, greater oxytocin over the prior 24 hr was associated with greater perceptions of the expresser’s responsiveness and gratitude, as well as greater experienced love, but not general affective reward. Moreover, in this one-time conversation, higher oxytocin acted like rose-colored glasses, attenuating the effect of a partner’s behaviorally coded expressive behavior on perceptions of the expresser’s responsiveness. These results justify future research on the role of oxytocin in psychological aspects of growth processes.

Introduction Prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) from maternal cigarette smoking is linked to developmental deficits, including impaired auditory processing, language, generalized intelligence, attention, and sleep. Fetal brain undergoes massive growth, organization, and connectivity during gestation, making it particularly vulnerable to neurotoxic insult. Nicotine binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are extensively involved in growth, connectivity, and function of developing neural circuitry and neurotransmitter systems. Thus, PNE may have long-term impact on neurobehavioral development. The purpose of this study was to compare the auditory K-complex, an event-related potential reflective of auditory gating, sleep preservation and memory consolidation during sleep, in infants with and without PNE and to relate these neural correlates to neurobehavioral development. Methods We compared brain responses to an auditory paired-click paradigm in 3- to 5-month-old infants during Stage 2 sleep, when the K-complex is best observed. We measured component amplitude and delta activity during the K-complex. Results Infants with PNE demonstrated significantly smaller amplitude of the N550 component and reduced delta-band power within elicited K-complexes compared to nonexposed infants and also were less likely to orient with a head turn to a novel auditory stimulus (bell ring) when awake. Conclusions PNE may impair auditory sensory gating, which may contribute to disrupted sleep and to reduced auditory discrimination and learning, attention re-orienting, and/or arousal during wakefulness reported in other studies. Implications Links between PNE and reduced K-complex amplitude and delta power may represent altered cholinergic and GABAergic synaptic programming and possibly reflect early neural bases for PNE-linked disruptions in sleep quality and auditory processing. These may pose significant disadvantage for language acquisition, attention, and social interaction necessary for academic and social success.

This study aimed to quantify the relationship between postpartum depression and anxiety, oxytocin, and breastfeeding. We conducted a longitudinal prospective study of mother-infant dyads from the third trimester of pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. A sample of 222 women were recruited to complete the Beck Depression Inventory II and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state subscale, participate in observed infant feeding sessions at 2 and 6 months postpartum, and provide venous blood samples during feeding. Maternal venous oxytocin levels in EDTA-treated plasma and saliva were determined by enzyme immunoassay with extraction and a composite measure of area under the curve (AUC) was used to define oxytocin across a breastfeeding session. Linear regression was used to estimate associations between postpartum depression and anxiety as predictors and oxytocin AUC during breastfeeding as the outcome at both 2 and 6 months postpartum. Mixed models accounting for correlations between repeated oxytocin measures were used to quantify the association between current depression and/or anxiety symptoms and oxytocin profiles during breastfeeding. We found no significant differences in oxytocin AUC across a feed between depressed or anxious women and asymptomatic women at either 2 or 6 months postpartum. Repeated measures analyses demonstrated no differences in oxytocin trajectories during breastfeeding by symptom group but possible differences by antidepressant use. Our study suggests that external factors may influence the relationship between oxytocin, maternal mood symptoms, and infant feeding.

Background: Few studies have examined the role of maternal emotions in breastfeeding outcomes. Research aim: We aimed to determine the extent to which positive maternal emotions during human milk feeding at 2 months were associated with time to any and exclusive human milk feeding cessation and overall breastfeeding experience. Methods: A sample of 192 women intending to breastfeed for at least 2 months was followed from the third trimester until 12 months postpartum. Positive emotions during infant feeding at 2 months were measured using the modified Differential Emotions Scale. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for time to any and exclusive human milk feeding cessation associated with a 1-point increase in positive emotions. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between positive emotions and maternal breastfeeding experience reported at 12 months. Results: Among those human milk feeding at 2 months, positive emotions during feeding were not associated with human milk feeding cessation by 12 months (aHR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.64, 1.31]). However, among women exclusively human milk feeding at 2 months, a 1-point increase in positive emotions was associated with a 35% lower hazard of introducing formula or solid foods by 6 months (aHR = 0.65, 95% CI [0.46, 0.92]). Positive emotions were associated with a significantly more favorable maternal report of breastfeeding experience at 12 months. Results were similar in sensitivity analyses using maternal feelings about breastfeeding in the first week as the exposure. Conclusions: A positive maternal emotional experience of feeding is associated with breastfeeding outcomes.

BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia commonly experience stressful life events before developing the illness and before a relapse. An intervention was developed that combines positive psychology and mindfulness approaches to help people learn more adaptive responses to stress. Individual Coping Awareness Therapy (I-CAT) for persons with early schizophrenia was piloted as a feasibility study and an alternative treatment to combat stress. METHODS: Six participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorder diagnoses received treatment with I-CAT at a first episode psychosis (FEP) clinic and were assessed at four time points: baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and three-month follow-up. RESULTS: Preliminary results showed the largest improvements in the areas of stress management, resiliency, and symptoms. This pilot study found that I-CAT is both feasible and tolerable for persons with early schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide support for a larger scale efficacy trial that is currently in progress. A description of the randomized controlled trial will be provided in conjunction with the lessons learned from the pilot project that informed adaptations to the I-CAT model.

There has been considerable research effort into image registration and regression, which address the problem of determining correspondence primarily through estimating models of structural change. There has been far less focus into methods which model both structural and intensity change. However, medical images often exhibit intensity changes over time. Of particular interest is MRI of the early developing brain, where such intensity change encodes rich information about development, such as rapidly increasing white matter intensity during the first years of life. In this paper, we develop a new spatiotemporal model which takes into account both structural and appearance changes jointly. This will not only lead to improved regression accuracy and data-matching in the presence of longitudinal intensity changes, but also facilitate the study of development by direct analysis of appearance change models. We propose to combine a diffeomorphic model of structural change with a Gompertz intensity model, which captures intensity trajectories with 3 intuitive parameters of asymptote, delay, and speed. We propose an optimization scheme which allows to control the balance between structural and intensity change via two data-matching terms. We show that Gompertz parameter maps show great promise to characterize regional patterns of development.

Infancy is a critical and immensely important period in human brain development. Subtle changes during this stage may be greatly amplified with the unfolding of different developmental processes, exerting far-reaching consequences. Studies of the structure and behavioral manifestations of the infant brain are fruitful. However, the specific functional brain mechanisms that enable the execution of different behaviors remained elusive until the advent of functional connectivity fMRI (fcMRI), which provides an unprecedented opportunity to probe the infant functional brain development in vivo. Since its inception, a burgeoning field of infant brain functional connectivity study has emerged and thrived during the past decade. In this review, we describe (1) findings of normal development of functional connectivity networks and their relationships to behaviors and (2) disruptions of the normative functional connectivity development due to identifiable genetic and/or environmental risk factors during the first 2 years of human life. Technical considerations of infant fcMRI are also provided. It is our hope to consolidate previous findings so that the field can move forward with a clearer picture toward the ultimate goal of fcMRI-based objective methods for early diagnosis/identification of risks and evaluation of early interventions to optimize developing functional connectivity networks in this critical developmental window.

Objective In this review, we offer a conceptual framework that identifies risk factors of postpartum depression (PPD) in immigrant and U.S.-born Latinas in the United States by focusing on psychosocial and neuroendocrine factors. Although the evidence of the impact psychosocial stressors have on the development of PPD has been well-documented, less is known about the biological etiology of PPD or how these complex stressors jointly increase the risk of PPD in immigrant and U.S.-born Latinas in the United States. Methods Using PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase, we reviewed the literature from 2000 to 2015 regarding psychosocial and physiological risk factors associated with PPD to develop a conceptual model for Latinas. Results Our search yielded 16 relevant studies. Based on our review of the literature, we developed a biopsychosocial conceptual model of PPD for Latinas in the United States. We make arguments for an integrated model designed to assess psychosocial and physiological risk factors and PPD in a high-risk population. Our framework describes the hypothesized associations between culturally and contextually relevant psychosocial stressors, neurobiological factors (e.g., hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis response system and oxytocin signaling), and PPD in Latinas in the United States. Conclusions Future studies should evaluate prospectively the impact psychosocial stressors identified here have on the development of PPD in both immigrant and U.S-born Latinas while examining neuroendocrine function, such as the HPA axis and oxytocin signaling. Our conceptual framework will allow for the reporting of main and indirect effects of psychosocial risk factors and biomarkers (e.g., HPA axis and oxytocin function) on PPD in foreign- and U.S.-born postpartum Latinas.

Background: Research shows that individuals can improve mental health by increasing experiences of positive emotions. However, the role of positive emotions in perinatal mental health has not been investigated. This study explored the extent to which positive emotions during infant feeding are associated with maternal depression and anxiety during the first year postpartum. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty-four women drawn from a longitudinal cohort of mother–infant dyads were followed from the third trimester through 12 months postpartum. We measured positive emotions during infant feeding at 2 months using the mean subscale score of the modified Differential Emotions Scale. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II and State Trait Anxiety Inventory-State subscale at months 2, 6, and 12. Generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate crude and multivariable associations. Results: Among women with no clinical depression during pregnancy, higher positive emotions during infant feeding at 2 months were associated with significantly fewer depression symptoms at 2, 6, and 12 months and with lower odds of clinically significant depression symptoms at 2 and 6 months. In contrast to depression outcomes, women with clinical anxiety during pregnancy who experienced higher positive emotions had significantly fewer anxiety symptoms at 2, 6, and 12 months and lower odds of clinically significant anxiety at 2 and 6 months. Conclusions: Positive emotions during infant feeding are associated with depression and anxiety outcomes during the first year postpartum and may be a modifiable protective factor for maternal mental health.

Lactation is thought to buffer stress reactivity via oxytocin (OT). Dysregulation of the HPA axis has been reported in women with postpartum depression (PPD). The co-occurrence of PPD and lactation failure suggests that abnormalities in OT signaling may play a role in PPD. We hypothesized that abnormal OT signaling is implicated in dysregulated HPA axis reactivity among postpartum women with mood symptoms. In a prospective perinatal cohort, we tested associations between OT levels during breastfeeding and stress reactivity.We recruited 52 pregnant women who intended to breastfeed, among whom 47 underwent a standardized stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), at 8 weeks postpartum. 39 were breastfeeding at time of TSST. We assessed mood symptoms using validated instruments and defined as symptomatic women with EPDS ≥ 10 and/or Spielberger ≥ 34. Following IV placement for blood draws, women breastfed their infants and then underwent the TSST. Mothers' hormone responses were quantified.Among symptomatic breastfeeding women (N=11; asymptomatic N=28), we found lower OT levels during breastfeeding (p0.05) and higher CORT levels (p0.05) both during breastfeeding and the TSST, as compared to asymptomatic breastfeeding women. In a mixed effects model examining CORT reactivity by symptom group and OT AUC, we observed a paradoxical response in symptomatic breastfeeding women during the TSST (group × time × OT AUC p0.05); higher OT AUC was associated with higher CORT.In all breastfeeding women, the surge of OT during feeding appears to buffer subsequent stress-induced CORT secretion. However, in symptomatic breastfeeding women, we found a positive correlation between OT AUC and CORT, instead of the expected negative correlation, which we found among asymptomatic women.

depression is associated with lower relationship quality, but this association could overlap with effects of other affective characteristics correlated with depression, specifically anger and hostility. We examined actor and partner associations of depressive symptoms and anger/hostility with relationship quality in 152 Caucasian and 42 african american young married or cohabitating couples. in significant actor and partner effects, higher levels of depressive symptoms and anger/hostility were independently associated with lower overall relationship quality, though they were associated with differing aspects of relationship quality. although findings were generally similar across ethnic groups, partners’ depression was significantly more closely related to relationship quality for Caucasian than african american couples. hence, models of emotional adjustment and relationship quality should be expanded beyond depression to include anger/hostility, and preliminary evidence suggests potential ethnic similarities and differences.

Following publication, the authors learned that the “Discovery Study” section of the originally published version of Fig 1C was derived from data that included a coding error in one control variable for one participant. This Correction includes a corrected version of Fig 1 with corrected values for the left 2 bars in Fig 1C being: Hedonic: + 3.6% and Eudaimonic: -7.2%. This is consistent with the direction of effects in the Discovery study reported in the original publication, although the magnitude of the effect for the hedonic association is attenuated. Both Discovery and Confirmation studies continue to show a positive association with gene expression for hedonic well-being, a negative association with gene expression for eudaimonic well-being, and a more favorable (negative) association of gene expression with eudaimonic well-being than with hedonic well-being. Fig 1 Well-being and CTRA gene expression. The discrepancy stemmed from use of the originally released version of the Discovery Study data set GEO {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE45330","term_id":"45330"}}GSE45330 for production of the original Fig 1C. The original version of {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE45330","term_id":"45330"}}GSE45330 was released in July 2013 and included a single mis-coded observation in which a value of “4” was included for what should have been a value of “0” indicating non-white race for study participant SOBC1_1299. The {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE45330","term_id":"45330"}}GSE45330 dataset was updated in July 2014 to correct this coding error. The corrected version of {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE45330","term_id":"45330"}}GSE45330 was used for the production of all other results in this article that utilized the Discovery Study data (including the findings reported in Table 3 that involve pooled analysis of the Discovery and Confirmation Studies). However, the original, uncorrected version of {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE45330","term_id":"45330"}}GSE45330 was inadvertently used in the production of the originally published Fig 1C. The statistical analysis syntax used in the production of the corrected Fig 1C is also included in this Correction as S3 File.

With increasing use of subject-specific longitudinal imaging for assessment of development, degeneration and disease progression, there is a clear need for image analysis segmentation/registration tools dedicated to 4D image time series. Previous work has mostly focused on temporal modeling of geometric deformations and shape changes, assuming that image intensity changes can be normalized. However, in studies of early infant development or aging, e.g., we encounter low contrast and appearance alterations due to tissue property changes which pose challenges to temporal registration and 4D segmentation. The two problems are linked since registration can be solved if appearance changes are accounted for, but 4D segmentation requires registration of image time series. In this paper, we propose to integrate a temporal appearance change model into diffeomorphic registration thus accounting for such variations, where voxel-wise intensity model parameters are calculated jointly with temporal image coregistration. Moreover, we demonstrate novel 4D segmentation of co-registered images that uses local intensity change rather than intensity itself via Gaussian mixture model. Both methods can be seen as two stages of an integrated registration/segmentation framework for 4D time-discrete image data making use of the same underlying model of longitudinal appearance changes. We demonstrate feasibility of the new approach with verification on longitudinal, multimodal pediatric MRI of infants in the age range neonates to 24 months.

Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) affects neurobehavioral development, however, disentangling direct drug-related mechanisms from contextual effects (e.g., socioeconomic status) has proven challenging in humans. The effects of environmental confounds are minimal immediately after birth thus we aimed to delineate neurobehavioral correlates of PCE in a large cohort of neonates (2–6 weeks of age, N = 152) with and without drug exposure using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) and developmental assessments at 3 months with the Bayley Scales of Infant & Toddler Development, 3rd edition. The cohort included healthy controls and neonates with similar poly-drug exposure ± cocaine. We focused on the thalamus given its critical importance in early brain development and its unique positioning in the dopamine system. Our results revealed PCE-related hyper-connectivity between the thalamus and frontal regions and a drug-common hypo-connective signature between the thalamus and motor-related regions. PCE-specific neonatal thalamo-frontal connectivity was inversely related to cognitive and fine motor scores and thalamo-motor connectivity showed a positive relationship with composite (gross plus fine) motor scores. Finally, cocaine by selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor (SSRI) interactions were detected, suggesting the combined use of these drugs during pregnancy could have additional consequences on fetal development. Overall, our findings provide the first delineation of PCE-related disruptions of thalamocortical functional connectivity, neurobehavioral correlations, and drug-drug interactions during infancy.

The aim of this study was to determine whether adolescents who were high in self-compassion self-reported different levels of emotional wellbeing than adolescents who were low in self-compassion, and to determine whether those high in self-compassion responded differently under a lab social stressor than those low in self-compassion. In a lab setting, participants (age 13–18; n = 28) completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and physiological stress was assessed via salivary cortisol, heart rate, blood pressure, and heart rate variability at baseline, during the TSST, and during recovery. After completing the lab protocol, an email was sent to participants that provided a link to an online survey which was composed of emotional wellbeing measures including perceived stress, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect. After conducting repeated measure ANOVAS to determine that the TSST induced a significant stress response, the sample was split at the median of self-compassion. T tests were conducted to determine meaningful differences (Hedges’ g > .20) between the groups. Findings indicated that those in the high self-compassion group (≥the median) self-reported greater emotional wellbeing than those in the low self-compassion group (

Prenatal marijuana exposure (PME) is linked to neurobehavioral and cognitive impairments; however, findings in childhood and adolescence are inconsistent. Type-1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) modulate fetal neurodevelopment, mediating PME effects on growth of functional circuitry sub-serving behaviors critical for academic and social success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prenatal marijuana on development of early brain functional circuitry prior to prolonged postnatal environmental influences. We measured resting state functional connectivity during unsedated sleep in infants at 2–6 weeks (+MJ: 20 with PME in combination with nicotine, alcohol, opiates, and/or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; −MJ: 23 exposed to the same other drugs without marijuana, CTR: 20 drug-free controls). Connectivity of subcortical seed regions with high fetal CB1R expression was examined. Marijuana-specific differences were observed in insula and three striatal connections: anterior insula–cerebellum, right caudate–cerebellum, right caudate–right fusiform gyrus/inferior occipital, left caudate–cerebellum. +MJ neonates had hypo-connectivity in all clusters compared with −MJ and CTR groups. Altered striatal connectivity to areas involved in visual spatial and motor learning, attention, and in fine-tuning of motor outputs involved in movement and language production may contribute to neurobehavioral deficits reported in this at-risk group. Disrupted anterior insula connectivity may contribute to altered integration of interoceptive signals with salience estimates, motivation, decision-making, and later drug use. Compared with CTRs, both +MJ and −MJ groups demonstrated hyper-connectivity of left amygdala seed with orbital frontal cortex and hypo-connectivity of posterior thalamus seed with hippocampus, suggesting vulnerability to multiple drugs in these circuits.

In addition to known reproductive and social affiliation functions, oxytocin (OT) has been identified as a cardiovascular hormone. OT synthesis and receptors are found in cardiac and vascular tissue. Animal studies suggest that OT activates an ‘anti-stress’ response that reduces cardiovascular and neuroendocrine stress reactivity. We tested 28 early postpartum mothers, obtaining multiple blood samples for OT, the sympathetic marker, norepinephrine (NE), and the lactation hormone, prolactin, while monitoring their cardiovascular responses to two stressors: public speaking and forehead cold pressor. Although plasma OT did not increase reliably from pre-stress levels during stressors, greater overall OT level was related to greater vasodilation and cardiac stroke volume responses to both tasks, to reduction in heart rate to the cold pressor, as well as to lower plasma NE and higher prolactin levels. In contrast, higher NE was linked to increases in heart rate and decreases in stroke volume. These data support a cardioprotective role for OT, which may influence the magnitude and hemodynamic determinants of cardiovascular stress responses.

Cancer survivors experience high levels of distress, associated with a host of negative psychological states, including anxiety, depression, and fear of recurrence, which often lead to sleep problems and reduction in quality of life (QOL) and well-being. As a neuropeptide hormone associated with affiliation, calmness, and well-being, oxytocin may be a useful biological measure of changes in health outcomes in cancer survivors. In this exploratory study, which comprised a subset of participants from a larger study, we evaluated ( a) the feasibility and reliability of salivary oxytocin (sOT) levels in cancer survivors and ( b) the effects of 2 sleep-focused mind–body interventions, mind–body bridging (MBB) and mindfulness meditation (MM), compared with a sleep hygiene education (SHE) control, on changes in sOT levels in 30 cancer survivors with self-reported sleep disturbance. Interventions were conducted in 3 sessions, once per week for 3 weeks. Saliva samples were collected at baseline, postintervention (~1 week after the last session), and at the 2-month follow-up. In this cancer survivor group, we found that intra-individual sOT levels were fairly stable across the 3 time points, of about 3 months’ duration, and mean baseline sOT levels did not differ between females and males and were not correlated with age. Correlations between baseline sOT and self-report measures were weak; however, several of these relationships were in the predicted direction, in which sOT levels were negatively associated with sleep problems and depression and positively associated with cancer-related QOL and well-being. Regarding intervention effects on sOT, baseline-subtracted sOT levels were significantly larger at postintervention in the MBB group as compared with those in SHE. In this sample of cancer survivors assessed for sOT, at postintervention, greater reductions in sleep problems were noted for MBB and MM compared with that of SHE, and increases in mindfulness and self-compassion were observed in the MBB group compared with those in SHE. The findings in this exploratory study suggest that sOT may be a reliable biological measure over time that may provide insight into the effects of mind–body interventions on health outcomes in cancer survivors.

Prenatal drug exposure, particularly prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), incurs great public and scientific interest because of its associated neurodevelopmental consequences. However, the neural underpinnings of PCE remain essentially uncharted, and existing studies in school-aged children and adolescents are confounded greatly by postnatal environmental factors. In this study, leveraging a large neonate sample (N= 152) and non-invasive resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared human infants with PCE comorbid with other drugs (such as nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, and antidepressant) with infants with similar non-cocaine poly drug exposure and drug-free controls. We aimed to characterize the neural correlates of PCE based on functional connectivity measurements of the amygdala and insula at the earliest stage of development. Our results revealed common drug exposure-related connectivity disruptions within the amygdala–frontal, insula–frontal, and insula–sensorimotor circuits. Moreover, a cocaine-specific effect was detected within a subregion of the amygdala–frontal network. This pathway is thought to play an important role in arousal regulation, which has been shown to be irregular in PCE infants and adolescents. These novel results provide the earliest human-based functional delineations of the neural-developmental consequences of prenatal drug exposure and thus open a new window for the advancement of effective strategies aimed at early risk identification and intervention.

Low milk supply is a common cause of early weaning, and supply issues are associated with dysregulation of thyroid function and prolactin. However, hormone levels compatible with successful breastfeeding are not well defined, limiting interpretation of clinical lab results. In this study we sought to quantify ranges for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), total T4, and prolactin in a cohort of exclusively breastfeeding women.Women planning to breastfeed were recruited in the third trimester of pregnancy. Maternal endocrine function was assessed before and after a breastfeeding session at 2 and 8 weeks postpartum. We used paired t tests to determine whether values changed from the 2- to 8-week visit.Of 52 study participants, 28 were exclusively breastfeeding, defined as only breastmilk feeds in the prior 7 days, at both the 2- and 8-week study visits. Endocrine function changed with time since delivery: the TSH level was higher, whereas total T4, free T4, and prolactin levels were lower, at the 8-week visit than at the 2-week visit (by paired t test, p≤0.01). We found a wide range of prolactin values at the 8-week visit, with a 5th percentile value of 9 ng/dL before feeding and 74 ng/dL at 10 minutes after feeding.Neuroendocrine function changes during the first 8 weeks after birth, and a wide range of values is compatible with successful breastfeeding. Further studies are needed to define reference values in breastfeeding women.

Prospective studies link marriage to better cardiovascular health, but marital dissatisfaction and discord predict increased rates of hypertension, higher blood pressure (BP), greater reactivity to stress, and left ventricular mass.To determine and compare effects of partner status and relationship quality on 24-h BP, urinary norepinephrine and cortisol, and self-reported stress and negative affect.Ambulatory BP (ABP) and 24-h urine collections were obtained during a typical work day in 325 adults, including 139 African Americans (AAs). Participants cohabiting with a spouse or partner were classified into high, intermediate and low relationship quality (RQ) groups and compared to those without partners (Alone).Mean ABP was nearly identical in participants with versus without partners (125.7/76.9 versus 125.9/76.7 mmHg). High RQ subjects had lower mean waking ABP than intermediate/low RQ and Alone groups [systolic blood pressure (SBP), F=3.45; diastolic blood pressure (DBP), F=3.38, P-values0.05]. High RQ was related to lower SBP and DBP in African Americans, and to lower SBP in Whites. High RQ was also linked to lower SBP and DBP in men, and to lower SBP in women. High RQ subjects reported less negative affect and stress than all other groups (P0.05). Norepinephrine was lower in partnered versus Alone women regardless of RQ status.Relationship quality is a better predictor of daily BP, affect and stress than partner status. High RQ is linked to lower ABP across race and gender. This reduced ABP may be due, in part, to the stress buffering effects of better RQ and/or the stress enhancing effects of poor RQ.

In animals, ventral stroking for >5 days increases oxytocin (OT) activity and decreases blood pressure (BP), but related human studies are few. Thus, relationships between self-reported frequency of partner hugs, plasma OT and BP levels were examined in 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands/partners ending with hugs. Higher baseline OT before partner contact was associated with lower BP and heart rate, and met criteria to be a partial mediator of the lower resting BP shown by women reporting more frequent hugs (P < 0.05). OT levels during post-contact stress were unrelated to hugs or BP. Menstrual cycle phase did not influence any OT measure. Thus, frequent hugs between spouses/partners are associated with lower BP and higher OT levels in premenopausal women; OT-mediated reduction in central adrenergic activity and peripheral effects of OT on the heart and vasculature are pathways to examine in future research.