Catherine H. Demers - US grants

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Maternal history of depression is a well-replicated predictor of increased vulnerability to psychopathology in the offspring. Children exposed to maternal depressive symptoms prenatally are three times more likely to develop later mental health disorders than their non-exposed peers. The extraordinary rate of development during gestation renders the fetal brain highly susceptible to detrimental influences. However, the neurobiological mechanisms through which such intergenerational risk is conferred remain poorly understood. Therefore, the proposed project will examine the influence of fetal exposure to prenatal depression on neural circuitry development in the infant. Specifically, this project will investigate the role of prenatal maternal depression exposure on the development of structural and functional circuits underlying threat reactivity. Previous studies within this small extant literature have predominately focused on neurodevelopment of regions implicated in emotion regulation (fronto-limbic circuits). The current proposal addresses this gap by 1) investigating the structure and function of a priori affective (temporal-limbic) and sensory processing (occipital-temporal) circuits involved in threat processing in addition to fronto-limbic circuitry, and 2) using tract-based spatial statistics to further probe structural connectivity from a whole-brain approach. This project will prospectively follow a sample of mother-infant dyads (n=100) recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy as part of a larger NIMH-funded study. Of these dyads, 50 will include mothers with elevated depressive symptoms and 50 will include psychiatrically healthy mothers. Infant data are collected via magnetic resonance imaging at ~42 weeks? postconceptional age. This project provides a critical next step in understanding early origins of the etiology of psychopathology and may identify targets for more effective strategies of early prevention and intervention. In the course of conducting the proposed study, the applicant will gain essential training at the University of Denver, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and University of North Carolina that strongly supports her career development. The applicant?s goals include 1) developing expertise in the analysis and interpretation of infant neuroimaging methodology; 2) gaining a deeper understanding of neural mechanisms underlying mental health in infants; 3) advancing data analytic skills in longitudinal modeling; and 4) strengthening abilities in navigating interdisciplinary collaboration. The completion of these training objectives, along with the strong mentorship from project consultants Martin Styner, PhD and Don Rojas, PhD (experts in neuroimaging) and project sponsor Elysia Davis, PhD (a leader in developmental psychobiology), will clearly support this applicant?s career trajectory in building an independent program of research.