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Endocrine activation mimics the adverse effects of prenatal stress on the neuromotor development of the infant primate
Author(s) -
Schneider Mary L.,
Coe Christopher L.,
Lubach Gabriele R.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420250604
Subject(s) - prenatal stress , endocrine system , adrenocorticotropic hormone , stressor , psychology , temperament , pregnancy , physiology , maternal deprivation , primate , rating scale , hormone , developmental psychology , endocrinology , medicine , clinical psychology , personality , gestation , neuroscience , biology , social psychology , genetics
Pregnant female rhesus monkeys were exposed to a 2‐week period of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to determine whether it would affect the early neuromotor development of their fetuses in a manner similar to that observed after psychological stressors. During the first month after birth, infants were tested on two occasions with a modification of the Brazelton Newborn Behavioral Assessment Scale. Infants derived from ACTH‐treated pregnancies showed early impairments in motor coordination and muscle tonicity and shorter attention spans as compared to controls. In addition, on a temperament rating scale, infants from the ACTH condition were more irritable and difficult to console. These findings indicate that a delimited period of endocrine activation during pregnancy can have an adverse effect on infant neurobehavioral development, like that of prenatal stress. © 1992 Wiley & sons. Inc.