Adaptive Skills May Moderate the Association Between Prenatal Stress Exposure and Limbic Brain Activation: A Developmental fMRI Study of Superstorm Sandy Exposure

Our preliminary moderation (i.e., interaction) findings provide initial evidence that adaptive behaviors may serve as a neural buffer against prenatal stress. This protective pattern indicates that early adaptive skills may help maintain neural responsiveness following prenatal stress exposure. If validated in larger, adequately powered samples, interventions targeting adaptive behaviors in early childhood could potentially reduce the neural burden of prenatal stress and support more resilient brain development in at-risk populations. These findings highlight adaptive behaviors as potential targets for early intervention to promote neural resilience following prenatal adversity.