Effects of a Pregnancy Lifestyle Intervention on Emotion Regulation in Infants Responding to a Toy Removal Task at One-Year of Age

Poor infant emotion regulation (ER) has been linked with increased psychopathological risk in infancy and childhood. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Hypothesis suggests the prenatal period as the earliest point of intervention, where fetal exposure to healthy lifestyle changes can promote optimal ER in infancy. Infant electroencephalography (EEG; n=13) and heart rate variability (HRV; n=18) were measured at rest and in response to a toy removal task, to determine the ER of infants whose mothers participated in a nutrition and exercise intervention during pregnancy. Results demonstrated positive left frontal alpha asymmetry at rest (0.08± 0.66) and in response to stress (0.27 ± 0.72; p=0.167), with a significant increase in HRV (RMSSD: Z= -2.90,