Prenatal Associations of Maternal Psychological State with Infant Gray Matter Microstructure

Motivation: Given known associations between maternal distress during pregnancy and increased risk of offspring to develop psychopathology, it is critical to assess the influences of prenatal maternal depression & anxiety (pMDA) on infant brain organization. Goal(s): To investigate the relationship between pMDA and GM organization and assess differences in this relationship between male and female infants. Approach: In this study, we apply the NODDI GM- Based Spatial Statistics framework adapted for the infant brain to assess the relationship with pMDA and infant GM organization and investigate sex-related differences within this relationship. Results: Our findings suggest a sex-dependent association between pMDA and infant GM microstructure. Impact: Results may inform the development of interventions for maternal support during pregnancy.