# Prenatal maternal depression exposure and infant neurocircuitry development

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY) · 2021 · $65,994

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Maternal history of depression is a well-replicated predictor of increased vulnerability to psychopathology in the
offspring. Children exposed to maternal depressive symptoms prenatally are three times more likely to develop
later mental health disorders than their non-exposed peers. The extraordinary rate of development during
gestation renders the fetal brain highly susceptible to detrimental influences. However, the neurobiological
mechanisms through which such intergenerational risk is conferred remain poorly understood. Therefore, the
proposed project will examine the influence of fetal exposure to prenatal depression on neural circuitry
development in the infant. Specifically, this project will investigate the role of prenatal maternal depression
exposure on the development of structural and functional circuits underlying threat reactivity. Previous studies
within this small extant literature have predominately focused on neurodevelopment of regions implicated in
emotion regulation (fronto-limbic circuits). The current proposal addresses this gap by 1) investigating the
structure and function of a priori affective (temporal-limbic) and sensory processing (occipital-temporal) circuits
involved in threat processing in addition to fronto-limbic circuitry, and 2) using tract-based spatial statistics to
further probe structural connectivity from a whole-brain approach. This project will prospectively follow a sample
of mother-infant dyads (n=100) recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy as part of a larger NIMH-funded
study. Of these dyads, 50 will include mothers with elevated depressive symptoms and 50 will include
psychiatrically healthy mothers. Infant data are collected via magnetic resonance imaging at ~42 weeks’
postconceptional age. This project provides a critical next step in understanding early origins of the etiology of
psychopathology and may identify targets for more effective strategies of early prevention and intervention. In
the course of conducting the proposed study, the applicant will gain essential training at the University of Denver,
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and University of North Carolina that strongly supports her
career development. The applicant’s goals include 1) developing expertise in the analysis and interpretation of
infant neuroimaging methodology; 2) gaining a deeper understanding of neural mechanisms underlying mental
health in infants; 3) advancing data analytic skills in longitudinal modeling; and 4) strengthening abilities in
navigating interdisciplinary collaboration. The completion of these training objectives, along with the strong
mentorship from project consultants Martin Styner, PhD and Don Rojas, PhD (experts in neuroimaging) and
project sponsor Elysia Davis, PhD (a leader in developmental psychobiology), will clearly support this applicant’s
career trajectory in building an independent program of research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10236074
- **Project number:** 1F32MH125572-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY)
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine Demers
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $65,994
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10236074

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10236074, Prenatal maternal depression exposure and infant neurocircuitry development (1F32MH125572-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10236074. Licensed CC0.

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