Placenta affects maternal mental health, influencing stress and inflammation during pregnancy. Explore the potential for sex-specific medicine in prenatal care.
New research published in Brain Medicine has found that the placenta can influence maternal mental health (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Stress, sex, and the placenta: its role in fetal and child development
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The placenta has 13 different isoforms of the glucocorticoid receptor and one of the isoforms is expressed during maternal stress, anxiety, and depression. This activates an inflammatory response in the placenta with high cortisol concentrations.
This groundbreaking finding challenges conventional understanding of stress responses during pregnancy. While most glucocorticoid receptors typically suppress inflammation, this newly identified variant appears to enhance it, potentially explaining the complex relationship between stress and inflammation in pregnant women.
Sex-Specific Medicine for Mental Health
Professor Clifton’s research has unveiled crucial differences between male and female fetuses, mediated through sex-specific placental functions. “Presently, we do not consider the sex of the fetus in Obstetrics,” she notes. “I would like to see sex-specific medicine for pregnancy complications, for the care of preterm neonates, and for the care of newborns.”
Her work suggests that maternal physiology varies depending on fetal sex, opening new possibilities for personalized interventions in pregnancy care. This insight could transform how clinicians approach pregnancy complications and neonatal care.
The interview reveals how personal tragedy shaped Professor Clifton’s research focus. Following the loss of her son in mid-gestation, she was driven to understand “What went wrong?” This experience led her to study placental function and its regulation by stress hormones, eventually establishing Australia’s largest birth cohort study at Mater Research Institute.
Placental Health and Pregnancy Mental Health
Professor Clifton’s team is investigating how placental inflammation might influence maternal brain function, potentially exacerbating anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy. This research could revolutionize our approach to perinatal mental health care and lead to targeted interventions based on placental function.
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Professor Vicki Clifton’s Genomic Press interview is part of a larger series that highlights the people behind today’s most influential scientific ideas. Each interview in the series offers a blend of cutting-edge research and personal reflections, providing readers with a comprehensive view of the scientists shaping the future. By combining a focus on professional achievements with personal insights, this interview style invites a richer narrative that both engages and educates readers. This format provides an ideal starting point for profiles that delve into the scientist’s impact on the field, while also touching on broader human themes.
Reference:
- Stress, sex, and the placenta: its role in fetal and child development – (https://bm.genomicpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BM0097-Clifton-2024.pdf)
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