Research articleAssociation between theta power in 6-month old infants at rest and maternal PTSD severity: A pilot study

- Perinatal PTSD severity is correlated with infant left anterior temporal theta power.
- Perinatal PTSD in mothers may be a risk for delayed infant cortical maturation.
- There may be a threshold perinatal PTSD severity must pass to affect fetal brains.

Compared to infants born to mothers without PTSD, infants born to mothers with active PTSD develop poorer behavioral reactivity and emotional regulation. However, the association between perinatal maternal PTSD and infant neural activation remains largely unknown. This pilot study (N = 14) examined the association between perinatal PTSD severity and infant frontal neural activity, as measured by MEG theta power during rest. Results indicated that resting left anterior temporal/frontal theta power was correlated with perinatal PTSD severity (p = 0.004). These findings suggest delayed cortical maturation in infants whose mothers had higher perinatal PTSD severity and generate questions regarding perinatal PTSD severity and infant neurophysiological consequences.