. 2025 Aug 15;15(1):283.

doi: 10.1038/s41398-025-03527-9.

The association between prenatal maternal anxiety, infant brain volumes, and temperament during the COVID-19 pandemic

Amber-Lee Di Paolo¹, Emily S Nichols^{1

2}, Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen³, Gerald F Giesbrecht⁴, Kathryn Y Manning^{4

5}, Catherine A Lebel⁵, Emma G Duerden^{6

7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
² Western Institute for Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
³ Educational and Counselling Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁵ Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁶ Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.
⁷ Western Institute for Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.
⁸ Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.
⁹ Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.

PMID: 40817368
PMCID: PMC12356957
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03527-9

The association between prenatal maternal anxiety, infant brain volumes, and temperament during the COVID-19 pandemic

Amber-Lee Di Paolo et al. Transl Psychiatry. 2025.

. 2025 Aug 15;15(1):283.

doi: 10.1038/s41398-025-03527-9.

Authors

Amber-Lee Di Paolo¹, Emily S Nichols^{1

2}, Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen³, Gerald F Giesbrecht⁴, Kathryn Y Manning^{4

5}, Catherine A Lebel⁵, Emma G Duerden^{6

7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
² Western Institute for Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
³ Educational and Counselling Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁵ Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
⁶ Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.
⁷ Western Institute for Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.
⁸ Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.
⁹ Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, London, ON, Canada. eduerden@uwo.ca.

PMID: 40817368
PMCID: PMC12356957
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03527-9

Abstract

Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS), anxiety, and depression are associated with altered trajectories of infant socio-emotional and brain development, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC). During the COVID-19 pandemic, prenatal anxiety and depression was significantly elevated, yet the impact on infant neurodevelopment remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine whether PNMS and mental health during the pandemic was associated with infant amygdala and PFC volumes as well as temperament. Participants were enrolled in the Canadian 'Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic' cohort study. Pregnant individuals had their perceived stress, pandemic-related objective hardship, and mental health measured via questionnaires. Infant magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (n = 100) were conducted at 3 months of age, and parents reported on infant temperament at 6 months of age. General linear models were used to examine the associations among PNMS, mental health, brain volumes, and developmental outcomes. Prenatal maternal anxiety negatively predicted 3-month left infant amygdala volumes (B = -5.919; p = 0.016; 95% CI, -10.748 to -1.089). Smaller left amygdala volumes were associated with greater infant 6-month negative affectivity (B = -0.003; p = 0.002; 95% CI, -0.006--0.001). This study provides evidence for infant brain alterations related to prenatal maternal anxiety, indicating that the impact of anxiety on infant development during the COVID-19 pandemic may have long-lasting implications for children's health. Our findings suggest that prenatal anxiety may be a key area for screening and intervention during pregnancy to best support healthy infant development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1. Marginal effects plot: Left amygdala volumes by prenatal anxiety T-scores.**
Grey area indicates 95% confidence.

**Fig. 2. Marginal effects plot: Infant negative affectivity at 6 months by 3-month left amygdala volumes.**
Infants with larger left amygdala volumes were more likely to have lower levels of negative affectivity.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Groulx T, Bagshawe M, Giesbrecht G, Tomfohr-Madsen L, Hetherington E, Lebel CA. Prenatal care disruptions and associations with maternal mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Glob Womens Health. 2021;2:648428 10.3389/fgwh.2021.648428. - PMC - PubMed
1. Public Health Agency of Canada. Pregnancy, childbirth and caring for newborns: advice for mothers during COVID-19 2020. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseasescon... Accessed 26 May 2023.
1. Urrutia D, Manetti E, Williamson M, Lequy E. Overview of Canada’s answer to the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave (January–April 2020). Int J Env Res Public Health. 2021;18:7131. - PMC - PubMed
1. Chmielewska B, Barratt I, Townsend R, Kalafat E, van der Meulen J, Gurol-Urganci I, et al. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9:e759–72. 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00079-6. - PMC - PubMed
1. Lebel C, MacKinnon A, Bagshawe M, Tomfohr-Madsen L, Giesbrecht G. Elevated depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Affect Disord. 2020;277:5–13. 10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.126. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- Nature Publishing Group
- PubMed Central
Miscellaneous
- NCI CPTAC Assay Portal

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

The association between prenatal maternal anxiety, infant brain volumes, and temperament during the COVID-19 pandemic

Affiliations

The association between prenatal maternal anxiety, infant brain volumes, and temperament during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Miscellaneous

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

References

Related information

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Miscellaneous