Dear US DOHaD Members,
Happy New Year! We’re excited to share two timely and closely related updates that highlight a core focus of DOHaD research.
New Review: Maternal Obesity & Offspring Neurodevelopment
Maternal Obesity in Pregnancy: Risk Factor for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Offspring (Journal of Neurochemistry)
This recent open-access review synthesizes evidence from human and animal studies linking maternal obesity to altered offspring brain development, including neuroinflammation, disrupted neural circuitry, and increased risk of behavioral and neuropsychiatric outcomes. Together, these findings provide a strong DOHaD framework for understanding how prenatal metabolic environments influence long-term brain health.
Next DOHaD Trainee Tuesday Seminar: January 13, 2026
Building on this theme of prenatal influences on neurodevelopment, the next DOHaD Trainee Tuesday Seminar, co-led by US DOHaD and DOHaD Canada and hosted by DOHaD Canada, will take place on January 13, 2026.
Title: Infant Brain Development and Negative Affect: The Role of Prenatal Depression
Speaker: Taryn Simon, MA Student, Western University
Using data from the Pregnancy During the Pandemic study, this talk will explore how prenatal depression relates to toddler temperament and infant white-matter microstructure, offering a complementary perspective on early-life programming of brain outcomes.
Multiple time zones are accommodated
Join Zoom Meeting
https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/97401286102?pwd=t8kmfKUP9k15ezv0RKb3FVFzaFOs0p.1
We hope you’ll join us in engaging with this new research and in supporting our trainee community. As always, please feel free to share any updates or announcements, and we’re happy to feature them in an upcoming newsletter.