The Effect Of Maternal Prenatal Stress On Growth Of Fspring Essay

Various experiments and measurements were performed in the field in order to compare the two types of rodents. The following is a list of the data collected through multiple observations over a span of two years. We captured 100 rats of each rodent population, and we found the average weight, length, hind limb, and forelimb measurements. In addition, we conducted experiments in regards to their top speed, average height that they could leap, gestation time, and average time spent in the courtship display.

For my experiment and to test my hypothesis I shall use rats as my test subjects. In the control group there will be 10 male rats. They are all 6 months old, same species of rats, approximately same height and weight. In the experimental group there will be another

The research is discussing the effects of prenatal stress (PS) on the development of socioemotional symptoms as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. The study arises from existing literatures where a significant relationship has been established between prenatal stress and social deficits such as autism and attention-deficit hypersensitivity disorder among children and schizophrenia among adolescents. King et al. identifies exposures to environmental hardships and stressful events as the underlying factor in the development of PS (274). The aspect has a negative impact on the immune and endocrine system as well as neurological development (Charil et al. 56). Studies have revealed that PS affects several aspects of brain development in the fetal stage. It increases rate of cell death and reduces rate of proliferation in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis (Schoenfeld and Gould 15).

Development of children begins at conception however the parent’s health and lifestyle prior to conception could influence a baby development.

The prenatal period is when quick changes in the fetal organs are vulnerable to organizing change and stability but also building internal working system to trigger emotional responses (McEwen et al. 2013). It is a critical time for brain development and the PFC (McEwen et al. 2013). It exposes a selection of long -term modifications on brain development and behaviour (Entringer et al. 2009). Prenatal exposure to stress affects hormones in the body including the physiology and anatomy that relate to increasing drug levels, cortical communication and more (Entringer et al. 2009). Fetal stress is any event that interrupts a fetal process in stability in the body. (Entringer et al. 2009). During pregnancy, maternal stress impends the fetal nervous system and shortens the length of maturation due to many issues and concerns affecting the mother (Entringer et al. 2009). During pregnancy, maternal psychosocial stress threatens the fetal nervous system and contracts the length of gestation (Entringer et al. 2009). High levels of placental corticotrophin- releasing hormone

At the microscopic level, emotional stress is paramount for the body's chemical response by providing strength and stamina. However, it is compounded by sustained periods of unresolved stress at the physiological level; the state worsens to become almost permanently established. This makes changes to rapidly take place within the reproductive system of both male and female causing an irregular menstrual cycles or frigidity in women and stress during the pregnancy period; this can result in the baby to become prone to asthma as well as, other allergies, while lowers the sperm count or impotence in men. In microscopic level, the emotional stress affects the reproductive system of

The experiment was conducted using adult male Sprague-Dawley rats from the Charles River Laboratories in Hollister, California. The rats were housed in cages, two rats per cage, for a 12 hour light/dark cycle. The investigation began by combining the use of lateral

4). It is also believed that this exposure can contribute to the development of mood disorders later in life. On the other hand, Deward (2008) states that while cortisol can cause miscarriage early in pregnancy, the mother naturally develops higher levels in later trimesters, which in turn help the baby 's development. Because chronic and serious stress can be harmful during pregnancy, Broderick and Blewitt (2015) stress the importance of reducing conflict and providing strong social support to the pregnant mother.

Although there are many factors that affect the development of the fetus, research on the specific effects of prenatal maternal stress and the resulting negative outcomes for the development of the fetus will be reviewed. While there is knowledge of these harmful effects in scientific and medical communities, researchers are still in the midst of discovering the results of these negative effects on human development. An overall review of the literature suggests that this topic is still relatively new in research as most of the articles make note that despite the amount of current research studies, there are still many unanswered questions.

This study that was conducted was to find out if babies that were born pre term (before 32 weeks) with low weight at birth (under 1.5 kgs) were more likely to develop problems with anxiety and mood disorders later in life due to their early birth. Many studies were conducted in this field but they considered these to be smaller in range as the subjects were not tested above the age of 20. They set out to find the answer.

For this qualitative, phenomenological study, there are threats to validity that should be considered. Given the study design, there may be selection bias, recall bias, an inaccurate interpretation of the participant’s answers and data that is non-generalizable to all pregnant women in their third trimester. Because the study is interview-based, the purpose is to understand the women’s experiences during their pregnancy. Consequently, the researcher will first distribute a demographic survey, asking the women about their race, annual income, relationship status, age, etc. Then a series of interview question will be asked, focusing on what their experience has been as a pregnant woman, what their sources of stress are

Female rats will be included without regard to the stage of their estrous cycle, as their exclusion from experimental models of depression in lieu of less variable male rats is aged, and not empirically based.4,12,13,17,29,42 Sex was only taken into account for the initial selection of behavioural testing, as commonly used social defeat paradigms would be ineffective: female rodents do not engage in replicable resident-intruder confrontations, and do not fight each other in any transitive social hierarchy.12,13

There are many well-documented cases of sex differences in spatial behavior among rats. According to Bettis and Jacobs (2009), female rats tend to outperform male rats on object recognition tasks. Bettis and Jacobs (2009) found that male rats focus on directional cues. Female rats, on the other hand, look at local cues which show them where items are positioned on the maze in comparison to the room (Bettis and Jacobs, 2009). Therefore, Bettis and Jacobs (2009) claimed that female rats are better at recognizing objects, while male rats are better at direction. Chow, Epp, Lieblich, Barha, and Galea (2013) indicated that male rats are superior at spatial tasks. However, Chow, Epp, Lieblich, Barha, and Galea (2013) also claimed that female rats are better at tasks where cues are provided. Gaulin and FitzGerald (1986) on the other hand argue that sex differences are found because of differing “reproductive tactics” (p. 85).

At one time or another, most people experience stress. The term stress has been used to describe a variety of negative feelings and reactions that accompany threatening or challenging situations. However, not all stress reactions are negative. A certain amount of stress is actually necessary for survival. For example, birth is one of the most stressful experiences of life. The high level of hormones released during birth, which are also involved in the stress response, are believed to prepare the newborn infant for adaptation to the challenges of life outside the womb. These biological responses to stress make the newborn more alert promoting the bonding process and, by extension, the child's physical survival.

A mother who struggles with depression post-partum is likely to expose her baby to more harmful effects. Gerhardt (2015) states that the baby of a depressed mother can find it difficult to cope with or get over stress, or they may be more fearful (p. 21). These babies also may respond to others with depression themselves, as their mother may be neglectful in their care (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 36). One of the reasons for this is because of their cortisol levels, which can fluctuate situationally. However, in infants this can affect their development (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 83) as well as their immune system (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 118), and is evidence that a mother with depression can have a significant impact on her child well beyond when the depression occurs. Additionally, Gerhardt (2015) notes that, “When they grow up, these babies of depressed mothers are highly at risk of succumbing to depression themselves.” (p.