AUTHOR=Papadopoulou Zoe , Vlaikou Angeliki-Maria , Theodoridou Daniela , Markopoulos Georgios S. , Tsoni Konstantina , Agakidou Eleni , Drosou-Agakidou Vasiliki , Turck Christoph W. , Filiou Michaela D. , Syrrou Maria 

TITLE=Stressful Newborn Memories: Pre-Conceptual, In Utero, and Postnatal Events

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00220

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00220

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p>Early-life stressful experiences are critical for plasticity and development, shaping adult neuroendocrine response and future health. Stress response is mediated by the autonomous nervous system and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis while various environmental stimuli are encoded <italic>via </italic>epigenetic marks. The stress response system maintains homeostasis by regulating adaptation to the environmental changes. Pre-conceptual and <italic>in utero</italic> stressors form the fetal epigenetic profile together with the individual genetic profile, providing the background for individual stress response, vulnerability, or resilience. Postnatal and adult stressful experiences may act as the definitive switch. This review addresses the issue of how preconceptual <italic>in utero</italic> and postnatal events, together with individual differences, shape future stress responses. Putative markers of early-life adverse effects such as prematurity and low birth weight are emphasized, and the epigenetic, mitochondrial, and genomic architecture regulation of such events are discussed.</p>