Stress and Fetal Brain Development

The Impact of Stress on Fetal Brain Development

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03831126

Enrollment

Registered

2019-02-05

Start date

2019-02-01

Completion date

2024-12-31

Last updated

2024-05-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pregnancy

Brief summary

The current proposal aims to investigate the impact of acute stress on the fetal autonomic nervous system.

Detailed description

Over the last decades there is growing evidence that increased maternal stress levels lead to an adverse effect on the physiological, metabolic and neuronal development of the fetus during gestation with possible long-lasting effects. Several studies showed that maternal stress also affects fetal endocrine processes during pregnancy and increases the risk for childhood and adult obesity. Thus, the aim of the study is to investigate the effect of acute stress related to the action of the artificial glucocorticoid betamethasone on fetal heart and brain activity. The fetal activity will be measured with biomagnetic sensors.

Interventions

DRUGBetamethason Sodium Phosphate

First measurement: 12-36 hours after betamethasone treatment Second measurement: within five days after betamethasone treatment and two weeks Third measurement (neonatal measurement): 1-8 weeks after birh

Study design

Observational model

CASE_ONLY

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* German speakers (fluently) * Gestational age between 28 and 34 weeks * Treatment with Betamethasone for improvement of fetal lung function -

Exclusion criteria

* Smoking (regularly) * Alcohol and drug consumption during pregnancy * Congenital fetal disorders * Women with bed rest * acute depression or other psychiatric disorder (self report)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
fetal and maternal heart rate	8 weeks	Measurement by fMEG

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
fetal and neonatal brain activity in response to auditory and visual stimuli	8 weeks	Measurement by fMEG

Other

Measure	Time frame	Description
blood sugar levels	8 weeks	Measurement by fMEG

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Primary ContactJan Pauluschke-Fröhlich, MD

jan.pauluschke-froehlich@med.uni-tuebingen.de07071 2983111

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026