BACKGROUND Maternal inflammation during pregnancy increases the risk for offspring psychiatric disorders and other adverse long-term health outcomes. The influence of inflammation on the developing fetal brain is hypothesized as one potential mechanism but has not been examined in humans. METHODS Participants were adult women (N = 86) who were recruited during early pregnancy and whose offspring were born after 34 weeks' gestation. A biological indicator of maternal inflammation (interleukin-6) that has been shown to influence fetal brain development in animal models was quantified serially in early, mid-, and late pregnancy. Structural and functional brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired in neonates shortly after birth. Infants' amygdalae were individually segmented for measures of volume and as seeds for resting state functional connectivity. At 24 months of age, children completed a snack delay task to assess impulse control. RESULTS Higher average maternal interleukin-6 concentration during pregnancy was prospectively associated with larger right amygdala volume and stronger bilateral amygdala connectivity to brain regions involved in sensory processing and integration (fusiform, somatosensory cortex, and thalamus), salience detection (anterior insula), and learning and memory (caudate and parahippocampal gyrus). Larger newborn right amygdala volume and stronger left amygdala connectivity were in turn associated with lower impulse control at 24 months of age, and mediated the association between higher maternal interleukin-6 concentrations and lower impulse control. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide new evidence in humans linking maternal inflammation during pregnancy with newborn brain and emerging behavioral phenotypes relevant for psychiatric disorders. A better understanding of intrauterine conditions that influence offspring disease susceptibility is warranted to inform targeted early intervention and prevention efforts.

中文翻译：

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怀孕期间母体全身性白细胞介素 6 与新生儿杏仁核表型和随后 2 岁时的行为有关


背景技术怀孕期间母体炎症会增加后代精神疾病和其他不利的长期健康结果的风险。炎症对发育中的胎儿大脑的影响被认为是一种潜在机制，但尚未在人类身上进行过研究。方法 参与者是怀孕早期招募的成年女性（N = 86），其后代在妊娠 34 周后出生。母体炎症的生物指标（白细胞介素 6）已被证明会影响动物模型中胎儿大脑发育，并在妊娠早期、中期和晚期进行连续量化。新生儿出生后不久就获得了结构和功能性脑磁共振成像扫描。婴儿的杏仁核被单独分割以测量体积并作为静息状态功能连接的种子。 24 个月大时，孩子们完成了一项零食延迟任务来评估冲动控制能力。结果 怀孕期间较高的平均母体白细胞介素 6 浓度与较大的右侧杏仁核体积和较强的双侧杏仁核与涉及感觉处理和整合（梭形、体感皮层和丘脑）、显着性检测（前岛叶）和大脑区域的双侧杏仁核连接相关。学习和记忆（尾状核和海马旁回）。新生儿右侧杏仁核体积较大，左侧杏仁核连通性较强，反过来与 24 个月大时较低的冲动控制相关，并介导较高的母体白细胞介素 6 浓度与较低的冲动控制之间的关联。 结论 这些发现为人类提供了新的证据，将怀孕期间母体炎症与新生儿大脑以及与精神疾病相关的新行为表型联系起来。有必要更好地了解影响后代疾病易感性的宫内状况，以便为有针对性的早期干预和预防工作提供信息。