Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy (PPD)¹ has been associated with changes in offspring amygdalar and hippocampal volumes. Studies on child amygdalae suggest that sex moderates the vulnerability of fetal brains to prenatal stress. However, this has not yet been observed in these structures in newborns. Newborn studies are crucial, as they minimize the confounding influence of postnatal life.

We investigated the effects of maternal prenatal psychological symptoms on newborn amygdalar and hippocampal volumes and their interactions with newborn sex in 123 newborns aged 2–5 weeks (69 males, 54 females). Based on earlier studies, we anticipated small, but statistically significant effects of PPD on the volumes of these structures. Maternal psychological distress was measured at gestational weeks (GW)² 14, 24 and 34 using Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90, anxiety scale)³ and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)⁴ questionnaires.

Newborn sex was found to moderate the relationship between maternal distress symptoms at GW 24 and the volumes of left and right amygdala. This relationship was negative and significant only in males. No significant main effect or sex-based moderation was found for hippocampal volumes.

This newborn study provides evidence for a sex-dependent influence of maternal psychiatric symptoms on amygdalar structural development. This association may be relevant to later psychopathology.

母亲怀孕期间的心理困扰 (PPD) ¹与后代杏仁核和海马体积的变化有关。对儿童杏仁核的研究表明，性可以减轻胎儿大脑对产前压力的脆弱性。然而，尚未在新生儿的这些结构中观察到这一点。新生儿研究至关重要，因为它们可以最大限度地减少产后生活的混杂影响。

我们调查了 123 名 2-5 周新生儿（69 名男性，54 名女性）中母亲产前心理症状对新生儿杏仁核和海马体积的影响及其与新生儿性别的相互作用。根据早期的研究，我们预计 PPD 对这些结构的体积影响虽小，但具有统计显着性。^{使用症状检查表 90（SCL-90，焦虑量表） 3}和爱丁堡产后抑郁量表（EPDS）⁴问卷测量孕周（GW）^2、14、24和 34时的母亲心理困扰。

研究发现，新生儿性别可以调节 24 周孕期母亲痛苦症状与左右杏仁核体积之间的关系。这种关系是负的，并且仅在男性中显着。对于海马体积，没有发现显着的主效应或基于性别的调节。

这项新生儿研究为母亲精神症状对杏仁核结构发育的性别依赖性影响提供了证据。这种关联可能与后来的精神病理学有关。