NCT03831126

Stress and Fetal Brain Development

The Impact of Stress on Fetal Brain Development

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 24 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Hospital Tuebingen · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The current proposal aims to investigate the impact of acute stress on the fetal autonomic nervous system.

Detailed description

Over the last decades there is growing evidence that increased maternal stress levels lead to an adverse effect on the physiological, metabolic and neuronal development of the fetus during gestation with possible long-lasting effects. Several studies showed that maternal stress also affects fetal endocrine processes during pregnancy and increases the risk for childhood and adult obesity. Thus, the aim of the study is to investigate the effect of acute stress related to the action of the artificial glucocorticoid betamethasone on fetal heart and brain activity. The fetal activity will be measured with biomagnetic sensors.

Conditions

• Pregnancy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Betamethason Sodium Phosphate	First measurement: 12-36 hours after betamethasone treatment Second measurement: within five days after betamethasone treatment and two weeks Third measurement (neonatal measurement): 1-8 weeks after birh

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-02-01
• Primary completion: 2024-12-31
• Completion: 2024-12-31
• First posted: 2019-02-05
• Last updated: 2024-05-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany