Anxiety and neural responses to infant and adult faces during pregnancy. 2017

Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Electronic address: helena.rutherford@yale.edu.

Women are vulnerable to anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum. However, little is known about antenatal anxiety and neural processing of infant-relevant information. In this experiment, the N170, P300, and LPP (late positive potential) event-related potentials were measured from 43 pregnant women as they viewed infant and adult faces, which were either neutral or distressed in expression. Mother's self-reported anxiety levels were also assessed. The N170 was comparable across face conditions and was not associated with anxiety. However, our central finding was that greater levels of antenatal anxiety were associated with a larger LPP, but only for neutral infant faces. Results suggest that antenatal anxiety may result in deeper processing of neutral, emotionally ambiguous, infant faces during pregnancy. These findings are discussed in light of other work indicating an interpretive bias toward threat in response to neutral stimuli in anxiety.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D010775 Photic Stimulation Investigative technique commonly used during ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY in which a series of bright light flashes or visual patterns are used to elicit brain activity. Stimulation, Photic,Visual Stimulation,Photic Stimulations,Stimulation, Visual,Stimulations, Photic,Stimulations, Visual,Visual Stimulations
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011248 Pregnancy Complications Conditions or pathological processes associated with pregnancy. They can occur during or after pregnancy, and range from minor discomforts to serious diseases that require medical interventions. They include diseases in pregnant females, and pregnancies in females with diseases. Adverse Birth Outcomes,Complications, Pregnancy,Adverse Birth Outcome,Birth Outcome, Adverse,Complication, Pregnancy,Outcome, Adverse Birth,Pregnancy Complication
D004569 Electroencephalography Recording of electric currents developed in the brain by means of electrodes applied to the scalp, to the surface of the brain, or placed within the substance of the brain. EEG,Electroencephalogram,Electroencephalograms
D004644 Emotions Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. Feelings,Regret,Emotion,Feeling,Regrets
D005071 Evoked Potentials Electrical responses recorded from nerve, muscle, SENSORY RECEPTOR, or area of the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM following stimulation. They range from less than a microvolt to several microvolts. The evoked potential can be auditory (EVOKED POTENTIALS, AUDITORY), somatosensory (EVOKED POTENTIALS, SOMATOSENSORY), visual (EVOKED POTENTIALS, VISUAL), or motor (EVOKED POTENTIALS, MOTOR), or other modalities that have been reported. Event Related Potential,Event-Related Potentials,Evoked Potential,N100 Evoked Potential,P50 Evoked Potential,N1 Wave,N100 Evoked Potentials,N2 Wave,N200 Evoked Potentials,N3 Wave,N300 Evoked Potentials,N4 Wave,N400 Evoked Potentials,P2 Wave,P200 Evoked Potentials,P50 Evoked Potentials,P50 Wave,P600 Evoked Potentials,Potentials, Event-Related,Event Related Potentials,Event-Related Potential,Evoked Potential, N100,Evoked Potential, N200,Evoked Potential, N300,Evoked Potential, N400,Evoked Potential, P200,Evoked Potential, P50,Evoked Potential, P600,Evoked Potentials, N100,Evoked Potentials, N200,Evoked Potentials, N300,Evoked Potentials, N400,Evoked Potentials, P200,Evoked Potentials, P50,Evoked Potentials, P600,N1 Waves,N2 Waves,N200 Evoked Potential,N3 Waves,N300 Evoked Potential,N4 Waves,N400 Evoked Potential,P2 Waves,P200 Evoked Potential,P50 Waves,P600 Evoked Potential,Potential, Event Related,Potential, Event-Related,Potential, Evoked,Potentials, Event Related,Potentials, Evoked,Potentials, N400 Evoked,Related Potential, Event,Related Potentials, Event,Wave, N1,Wave, N2,Wave, N3,Wave, N4,Wave, P2,Wave, P50,Waves, N1,Waves, N2,Waves, N3,Waves, N4,Waves, P2,Waves, P50
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000066499 Facial Recognition Ability to identify an individual from their facial features. Face Emotion Perception,Face Emotion Processing,Face Emotion Recognition,Face Processing,Face Recognition,Facial Emotion Recognition,Facial Expression Recognition,Facial Identity Recognition,Face Perception,Emotion Perception, Face,Emotion Processing, Face,Emotion Recognition, Face,Emotion Recognition, Facial,Expression Recognition, Facial,Identity Recognition, Facial,Perception, Face,Perception, Face Emotion,Processing, Face,Processing, Face Emotion,Recognition, Face,Recognition, Face Emotion,Recognition, Facial,Recognition, Facial Emotion,Recognition, Facial Expression,Recognition, Facial Identity

Related Publications

Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
February 2015, Journal of affective disorders,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
October 2014, Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
January 2024, Journal of affective disorders,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
May 2018, Psychoneuroendocrinology,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
August 2013, Brain, behavior, and immunity,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
January 2022, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
November 2018, Infant behavior & development,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
February 2022, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
March 2015, Social cognitive and affective neuroscience,
Helena J V Rutherford, and Simon P Byrne, and Grace M Austin, and Jonathan D Lee, and Michael J Crowley, and Linda C Mayes
January 2020, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology,
Copied contents to your clipboard!