Story perspectives

Maternal Stress Increases Anxiety Risk in Offspring, Study Reveals

9/26/2025

31 6

Summary

Story summary

Weill Cornell Medicine finds maternal infection or stress during pregnancy raises offspring anxiety risk in mice.
Researchers genetically engineered mice to simulate maternal inflammation and monitored anxiety behaviors, notably in male offspring.
Ventral dentate gyrus (vDG) activity increased, linking heightened threat processing to the observed anxiety.
Epigenetic changes altered vDG gene regulation, producing lasting neuronal response differences into adulthood.

1 of 1

Story summary

Weill Cornell Medicine finds maternal infection or stress during pregnancy raises offspring anxiety risk in mice.
Researchers genetically engineered mice to simulate maternal inflammation and monitored anxiety behaviors, notably in male offspring.
Ventral dentate gyrus (vDG) activity increased, linking heightened threat processing to the observed anxiety.
Epigenetic changes altered vDG gene regulation, producing lasting neuronal response differences into adulthood.