ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging and Stimulation
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1603022
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the complexities of the human nervous system through advanced brain imaging and stimulationView all 4 articles
Brain White Matter Development in 8-year-old Children is Associated with Maternal Mental Health during Pregnancy
Provisionally accepted
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, United States
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Background. Maternal mental health during pregnancy can influence fetal brain development, yet its long-term effects remain unclear. This study investigates the association between prenatal maternal depression and anxiety symptoms and white matter microstructure in the limbic system of 8-year-old children.Methods. Fifty-one healthy pregnant women and typically developing 8-year-old children dyads were included in this prospective and longitudinal study. Maternal depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed at 12, 24, and 36 weeks of gestation using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).Their children underwent a brain MRI examination at age 8 years with multi-shell diffusion imaging analyzed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI), and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) models for a multi-aspect evaluation of microstructural development.
Keywords: Prenatal maternal mental health, Children's neurodevelopment, Limbic system white matter, Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI)
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 06 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Koscik, Andres, Bellando, Glasier, Ram and Ou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiawei Ou, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, United States
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