CCF Speaker Series Kate Keenan Ph.D, 4-24-2015

Nutritionally Based Perinatal Preventive Interventions for Improving Offspring Mental Health Pregnant women living in poverty experience chronic and acute stressors, which can lead to alterations in circulating glucocorticoids. Experimental evidence from animal models and correlational studies in humans strongly support the hypothesis that in utero exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids can negatively affect the developing fetus and later emotional and behavioral regulation in the infant. There is emerging evidence that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation can modulate response to stress, including glucocorticoid reactivity. Evidence for a developing program of research designed to reduce the negative impact of prenatal stress on infant health and development via DHA supplementation during pregnancy is presented. Nutritional interventions may be among the most cost effective approaches to reducing common childhood mental disorders.

Kate Keenan Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago

4/24/2015 4:00:00 PM