Neural correlates of prenatal stress in young women.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal stress is hypothesized to have a disruptive impact on neurodevelopmental trajectories, but few human studies have been conducted on the long-term neural correlates of prenatal exposure to stress. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between prenatal stress exposure and gray-matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity in a sample of 35 healthy women aged 14-40 years. METHOD: Voxel-based morphometry and functional connectivity analyses were performed on the whole brain and in specific regions of interest (hippocampus and amygdala). Data about prenatal/postnatal stress and obstetric complications were obtained by interviewing participants and their mothers, and reviewing obstetric records. RESULTS: Higher prenatal stress was associated with decreased gray-matter volume in the left medial temporal lobe (MTL) and both amygdalae, but not the hippocampus. Variance in gray-matter volume of these brain areas significantly correlated with depressive symptoms, after statistically adjusting for the effects of age, postnatal stress and obstetric complications. Prenatal stress showed a positive linear relationship with functional connectivity between the left MTL and the pregenual cortex. Moreover, connectivity between the left MTL and the left medial-orbitofrontal cortex partially explained variance in the depressive symptoms of offspring. CONCLUSIONS: In young women, exposure to prenatal stress showed a relationship with the morphometry and functional connectivity of brain areas involved in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. These data provide evidence in favor of the hypothesis that early exposure to stress affects brain development and identified the MTL and amygdalae as possible targets of such exposure.

The psychometric and psychosocial dimension of Albanian immigration: data from a preliminary study.

The present study is part of a wider ministerial project aimed at analysing--both the healthcare and psychological aspects--the phenomenon of illegal immigration, in particular Albanian immigration in Apulia. The CBA 2.0 Primary Scale was duly translated, in accordance with the guidelines set out in literature, to allow for identification and future use of psychological tools in Albanian and therefore assess the psychological dimension of a sample group of adult Albanians. Moreover, the eventual presence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in subjects who arrived in Italy after a traumatic journey was studied. 82 Albanians were chosen (47 male and 35 female) having lived in Italy for over a year. All subjects were given the Albanian version of CBA 2.0 Primary Scale; subjects who had entered Italy illegally were asked to answer the DSM-IV questionnaire to assess PTSD and MDD and a semi-structured questionnaire made up to evaluate their experiences, before, during and after the trauma of their journey. CBA 2.0 translated into Albanian does not reveal psychological disturbances of clinical significance but did reveal values of hardship significantly lower than the normal Italian standards. Only 3 cases of PTSD and 6 of MDD arose from the questionnaire regarding the assessment of PTSD and MMD.

The effects of trauma among kidnap victims in Sardinia, Italy.

BACKGROUND: No study to date has investigated the effects of the trauma of being kidnapped for ransom. In the present study, we aimed to assess the general health status and the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MDD) in a sample of kidnap victims. We also focused attention on dissociative experiences and on the development of the Stockholm syndrome during captivity. METHODS: We investigated the traumatic experiences and reported general health status of 24 kidnap victims using a semistructured interview. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to assess the presence of PTSD and MDD. The Dissociative Experiences Scale was also administered. RESULTS: The lifetime frequency of PTSD and MDD were 45.9% and 37.5% respectively. The Stockholm syndrome had been present in 50% of the sample during captivity. The presence of PTSD can be predicted by the number of violent experiences, whereas the number of humiliating or deprivation experiences predicts the development of the Stockholm syndrome. Subjects with both PTSD and the Stockholm syndrome reported a greater number of physical complaints at the interview. CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant connection between PTSD and the Stockholm syndrome. Both are indices of the severity of the trauma of being kidnapped, but they are associated with different aspects of the traumatic experience. The presence of both syndromes appears to have a detrimental effect on physical health.