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Abstract #0530

Prenatal Maternal Cortisol Response Predicts One-month Infant White Matter Microstructure

Douglas C Dean1, Elizabeth M Planalp1,2, William Wooten3, Nagesh Adluru1, H Hill Goldsmith1,2, Andrew L Alexander1,4,5, and Richard J Davidson1,2,3,4

1Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, 2Psychology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, 3Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, 4Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, 5Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States

Exposure to differing concentrations of cortisol likely has a significant impact on brain development in childhood and adolescence; however, little is known about the time immediately following birth. Using multi-shell diffusion imaging data, we examined the associations between prenatal maternal diurnal cortisol patterns and infant white matter microstructure. Infant measures were associated with the slope of the maternal cortisol response across white matter, suggesting variations of cortisol within the intrauterine environment may have a significant influence on processes of early brain development.

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