Chernobyl exposure as stressor during pregnancy in adolescent offspring

Author: A.C. Huizink, D.M. Dick, E. Sihvola et al.

Reference: Acta Psychiatr Scand. — 2007. — Vol. 116, № 6. — P. 438–446.

Keywords: prenatal stress, behavioural and neuromotor development, testosterone

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Animal research suggests a programming effect of prenatal stress in the fetal period, resulting in disruptions in behavioural and neuromotor development. Physiological changes that mediate these effects include alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and in testosterone levels. This human study focuses on changes related to these physiological systems after prenatal stress exposure.

METHODS: We examined the potential effect of prenatal stress associated with the Chernobyl disaster in an ongoing genetic epidemiological study in Finland. One birth cohort of twins (n = 121 twin pairs) was exposed in utero to maternal stress, and their saliva cortisol and testosterone levels at age 14 were compared with twins (n = 157 twin pairs) born one year later.

RESULTS: Cortisol levels in both sexes and testosterone levels among females were significantly elevated after prenatal exposure to maternal stress from the second trimester onwards, compared to reference groups of non-exposed adolescents. Exposure explains 3% of variance (p<0.05) in cortisol levels and 18% of variance in testosterone levels (p<0.001). No significant differences were found for exposure from either first or third trimester onwards.

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to maternal stress in the second trimester of pregnancy may have resulted in prenatal programming of physiological systems relating to cortisol and testosterone levels.

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18365332

Two-year follow up study of stress-related disorders among immigrants to Israel from the Chernobyl area.

Title: Two-year follow up study of stress-related disorders among immigrants to Israel from the Chernobyl area.

Author: J Cwikel, A Abdelgani, J R Goldsmith, M Quastel, and I I Yevelson

Reference: Environ Health Perspect. 1997 December; 105(Suppl 6): 1545–1550.

Keywords: stress disorders, immigrants (from Chernobyl-affected areas), Israel

Abstract: [We report on findings from a 2-year follow-up study of immigrants originating from exposed areas around the site of the 1986 Chernobyl accident matched with comparison subjects emigrating from other republics in the Confederation of Independent States. In the initial study of 708 immigrants, the samples were matched by age, gender, and year of immigration. We assessed two exposure groups–high and low–by estimating levels of ground cesium contamination from the International Atomic Energy Agency maps. We reinterviewed 520 immigrants from the first wave of data collection (a reinterview rate of 73%), 87 from high-exposure areas, 217 from low-exposure areas, and 216 comparison subjects. This study examined the prevalence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD), depression, somatization, anxiety, and physical effects (high blood pressure, acute symptoms, and chronic illness)…]

URL:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1469946/