# Novel mechanisms underlying the impact of prenatal stress on neurodevelopment

> **NIH NIH K08** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $54,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The goal of this career development award is to interrogate the relationship between prenatal stress, placental
microbes, intrauterine inflammation and growth factors, and investigate their influence on the development of
aberrant behavior in exposed offspring. The proposal is designed to facilitate the career development and
transition to independence of Tamar L. Gur, M.D., Ph.D., a board certified, practicing psychiatrist, specializing
in the treatment of perinatal depression and anxiety. At the conclusion of the award, Dr. Gur will be an
independent investigator, leading a transdisciplinary research laboratory that will make substantial
contributions to the understanding of the influence of prenatal stress on psychiatric disorders in offspring, by
probing the interplay between stress, microbes, inflammation and growth factors in the intrauterine
environment, using innovative methods. Dr. Gur will gain this expertise through the combined guidance of her
primary mentor, Dr. Michael Bailey, PhD, a leader in stress and the microbiome, and co-mentor, Dr. Irina
Buhimschi, MD, an expert in the molecular mechanisms underlying pathophysiology in pregnancy, and mouse
models of pregnancy. Prenatal stress is a known contributor to the emergence of psychiatric illness in the
offspring. The proposed research will examine basic mechanisms underlying the contribution of prenatal stress
to psychiatric disorders by investigating the function of placental microbes, and to determine how alterations in
these microbes contributes to inflammation and regulation of growth factors in the intrauterine environment.
Dr. Gur has established a mouse model of prenatal stress, which induces alterations in placental microbes and
concomitant changes in inflammation and brain derived neurotrophic factor in utero, resulting in increased
anxiety and cognitive changes in females, decreased social behavior in males, and longstanding changes in
microbiome in both sexes. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that prenatal stress alters microbes in
utero. Our hypothesis is that dysbiosis in the placenta alters inflammation and BDNF, impacting the developing
central nervous system, resulting in long-term microbiome and behavioral changes in the offspring. This
hypothesis will be tested by pursuing these aims: 1) Determine whether placental microbes are viable, their
origin, and, utilizing a germ-free mouse model, whether they are sufficient to induce behavioral changes; 2)
Determine whether maternal stress is associated with immune dysregulation in the intrauterine environment; 3)
Determine how stress-induced changes in microbiota alter BDNF in utero. Dr. Gur has assembled an
outstanding team of mentors, including pioneers in stress and inflammation, and microbiome and health. The
extensive resources of the Ohio State University and deep commitment and support of her Department and
Institute, together with her formal plan for didactics in statistics, wil...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10128914
- **Project number:** 3K08MH112892-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Tamar Gur
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $54,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10128914

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10128914, Novel mechanisms underlying the impact of prenatal stress on neurodevelopment (3K08MH112892-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10128914. Licensed CC0.

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