High antenatal maternal anxiety is related to impulsivity during performance on cognitive tasks in 14-and 15-year-olds

van den Bergh, Bea R.H.; Mennes, Maarten; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Stevens, Veerle; Stiers, Peter; Marcoen, Alfons; Lagae, Lieven

doi:10.1016/J.NEUBIOREV.2004.10.010

Title

High antenatal maternal anxiety is related to impulsivity during performance on cognitive tasks in 14-and 15-year-olds

Author

van den Bergh, Bea R.H.

Mennes, Maarten

Oosterlaan, Jaap

Stevens, Veerle

Stiers, Peter

Marcoen, Alfons

Lagae, Lieven

Abstract

This study prospectively investigated the influence of antenatal maternal anxiety, measured with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory at 12-22, 23-31 and 32-40 postmenstrual weeks of pregnancy, on cognitive functioning in 57 adolescents (mean age 15 years). ANCOVAs showed effects of State anxiety at 12-22 weeks, after controlling for influences of State anxiety in later pregnancy and postnatal maternal Trait anxiety. Adolescents of high anxious pregnant women reacted impulsively in the Encoding task; they responded faster but made more errors than adolescents of low anxious women. They also scored lower on two administered WISC-R subtests. In the Stop task no differences in inhibiting ongoing responses were found between adolescents of high and low anxious pregnant women. We suspect that high maternal anxiety in the first half of pregnancy may negatively affect brain development of the fetus, reflected by impulsivity and lower WISC-R scores at 14-15 years. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language

English

Source (journal)

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. - Fayetteville, N. Y, 1978, currens

Source (book)

Meeting on Prenatal Programming of Behavior, Physiology and Cognition, FEB 17-19, 2004, Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS

Publication

Fayetteville, N. Y : ANKHO International Inc , 2005

ISSN

0149-7634

DOI

10.1016/J.NEUBIOREV.2004.10.010