Summary: A new study from Yale and Columbia shows that pregnant people’s experiences of discrimination and acculturation are linked to distinct differences in their infants’ brain connectivity. These associations appear separate from the effects of general stress or depression.
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine resting-state brain connectivity in 38 newborns and combined those imaging results with survey data collected from 165 pregnant participants. Most participants were Hispanic and lived in or near Washington Heights, New York City. The study found that higher maternal reports of discrimination during pregnancy were associated with weaker functional connectivity between the infant amygdala — a region tied to emotional processing — and the prefrontal cortex, a brain area involved in higher-order regulation and decision-making.
This work highlights a specific prenatal pathway by which experiences of discrimination and acculturation might influence early neurodevelopment, beyond the impacts of generalized stress or depressive symptoms.
Key Facts:
- The research collected questionnaire data from 165 pregnant participants and performed MRI scans on 38 of their infants to study brain connectivity.
- Infants whose mothers reported higher levels of discrimination during pregnancy showed weaker amygdala–prefrontal cortex connectivity.
- The findings indicate that discrimination and acculturation represent distinct prenatal influences on infant brain circuitry, separate from generalized stress, depression, or socioeconomic measures.
Source: Yale
Background
Extensive research has established that high stress and depression during pregnancy can affect both the parent and the developing child. More recently, studies have also linked discrimination and acculturation to measurable effects on the adult brain. However, fewer studies have examined whether and how these socially patterned experiences experienced by pregnant people shape their children’s early brain development.
To address this gap, the team administered validated questionnaires during pregnancy to measure acculturation, experiences of discrimination, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and socioeconomic status. Participants were adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 19, with 88% identifying as Hispanic. After birth, 38 infants underwent resting-state functional MRI to map early brain connectivity patterns, focusing primarily on the amygdala.
Analytic approach and distinct maternal profiles
The researchers used a data-driven clustering method to determine whether discrimination and acculturation formed distinct patterns, or whether they overlapped substantially with measures of stress, depression, trauma, and socioeconomic status. The clustering separated discrimination and acculturation measures from perceived stress and depressive symptoms, indicating that these experiences are related to but distinct from general maternal distress in this sample.
This separation allowed the team to test the unique associations between maternal discrimination or acculturation profiles and infant brain connectivity, controlling for the other factors.
Findings on infant amygdala connectivity
The amygdala plays a key role in emotional processing and is known to be sensitive to early-life adversity. In the MRI analyses, higher maternal reports of discrimination during pregnancy were associated with weaker functional connectivity between the infant amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The study also found links between maternal acculturation style—specifically higher assimilation—and altered amygdala–fusiform connectivity, which may relate to regions involved in facial and social processing.
These connectivity patterns resemble neural signatures previously observed in studies of early adversity, suggesting that experiences related to discrimination and acculturation might shape amygdala circuitry across generations.
Implications and next steps
The study underscores the importance of distinguishing different types of prenatal adversity. Discrimination and acculturation appear to exert distinct influences on infant brain networks, separate from generalized maternal stress or depression. The authors emphasize that further research is needed to clarify the biological mechanisms that transmit these experiences from parent to offspring and to determine whether similar patterns appear in more diverse populations.
Understanding these pathways could inform public health and clinical strategies that aim to mitigate the intergenerational effects of social inequities on neurodevelopment.
About this neurodevelopment research news
Author: Fred Mamoun
Source: Yale
Contact: Fred Mamoun – Yale
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
“The effects of experience of discrimination and acculturation during pregnancy on the developing offspring brain” by Dustin Scheinost et al., Neuropsychopharmacology.
Abstract
The effects of experience of discrimination and acculturation during pregnancy on the developing offspring brain
Experiences of ethnic, racial, and structural inequality increasingly are recognized as harmful to health, and early studies suggest that these experiences in pregnant mothers may affect fetal development. In this study, researchers characterized discrimination and acculturation experiences in a predominantly Hispanic sample of pregnant adolescent women and assessed associations with functional connectivity in their neonates’ brains. Self-report measures of acculturation, discrimination, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and socioeconomic status were collected from 165 women. Data-driven clustering indicated that discrimination and acculturation loaded onto factors distinct from perceived stress, depressive symptoms, trauma, and socioeconomic status. These maternal phenotypes were then associated with resting-state functional MRI connectivity of the infant amygdala (n = 38). Higher maternal assimilation related to weaker amygdala–bilateral fusiform connectivity, while higher maternal discrimination related to weaker amygdala–prefrontal connectivity and stronger amygdala–fusiform connectivity in the neonate. The findings cautiously suggest that discrimination and acculturation may influence amygdala circuitry across generations. Further prospective studies with more diverse minoritized populations and comprehensive assessment of ethnic, racial, and structural factors are essential.