The biological signatures of exposure to COVID-19 lockdown during the first 1000 days of life.

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many families worldwide to an unprecedented stressful situation due to extraordinary social, economic, and interpersonal pressures. The deleterious effects of stress on both parents and children early in life are well documented and likely encompass neuroendocrine, epigenetic, and microbial-modulated pathways. While amassing evidence highlights the negative impact of the pandemic on families’ mental health, we face a critical need for rapid research into the underlying biological mechanisms, that can drive prevention and intervention efforts. The proposed symposium aims to gather findings from ongoing longitudinal studies across the world that investigate biological markers of exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic in parents and young children. The first contribution presents data concerning the association between pandemic-related stressful events and hair cortisol, cortisone, and DHEA in families from a Finnish cohort. The second contribution portrays possible epigenetic pathways underlying the impact of maternal prenatal pandemic-related stress on infant development in an Italian cohort. The third contribution addresses the role of the gut microbiota in maternal resilience to the pandemic and infant development among a Canadian study cohort. The fourth contribution adds to this perspective by presenting infants’ neuroimaging data from a large American cohort, highlighting the specific contribution of prenatal maternal uncertainty in fetal programming. The symposium will significantly contribute to the discussion on whether and how the pandemic experience leaves a lasting imprint on both parents and infants, explaining its broad, negative effects on families’ mental health.

Sub Unit

• Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Chair

• Sarah Nazzari, University of Pavia

Individual Presentations

• Associations between hair cortisol, cortisone and DHEA levels and COVID-19-related stressors among family members - Presenting Author: Susanna Kortesluoma, University of Turku; Paula Mustonen, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital; Max Karukivi, University of Turku; Linnea Karlsson, University of Turku; Hasse Karlsson, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku; Saara Nolvi, University of Turku

• Epigenetic signatures of prenatal exposures to the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a longitudinal multi-centric study - Presenting Author: Sarah Nazzari, University of Pavia; Serena Grumi, IRCCS Mondino Foundation; Roberto Giorda, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea; Renato Borgatti, University of Pavia; Livio Provenzi, University of Pavia

• Role of the gut microbiota in maternal resilience and infant development during the COVID-19 pandemic - Marcel van de Wouw, University of Calgary; Catherine Lebel, University of Calgary, AB; Lianne M Tomfohr-Madsen, The University of Calgary; Presenting Author: Gerald Giesbrecht, University of Calgary (U of C)

• Maternal prenatal uncertainty stress and child neurocognitive development: data from the COVID-19 pandemic - Presenting Author: Moriah E. Thomason, New York University School of Medicine; Cassandra Lei Hendrix, New York University School of Medicine; Lanxin Ji, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; Amyn Majbri, New York University Grossman School of Medicine