The Intergenerational Impact of Maternal Childhood Adversity on Child Behavior and Neurodevelopment: The Healthy MiNDS Protocol

Abstract

Objectives

Here we present Healthy MiNDS, a cohort of mothers and their newborns in São Paulo, Brazil, designed to investigate how maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) intergenerationally affect child behavior and neurodevelopment, while exploring underlying biological mechanisms.

Methods

The study included seven encounters, beginning with the enrollment of women at 25–39 weeks of gestation from a low-resource area, based on their high or low exposure to ACEs. Their newborns were followed through the first 2 years of life. Biospecimens (e.g. maternal and cord blood, hair, saliva, placenta) were collected before/during childbirth and at follow-up visits. Newborns underwent non-sedated brain MRI scans and were regularly assessed for behavior, mother-child interactions, and home environment.

Results

We enrolled 626 mothers, with 60% of those who provided ACEs information (n = 603) reporting three or more ACEs, and 545 mother-child dyads. We obtained 303 MRI scans and 333 placental samples, among other biospecimens. Enrollment and the 6-month follow-up are complete, while the 14-, 18-, and 24-month visits are ongoing for active dyads.

Conclusion

The Healthy MiNDS data allows for testing associations between maternal ACEs, prenatal inflammation and stress, placental biology, and offspring brain-behavior development in a population highly exposed to ACEs.