fetal programming

during prenatal development, a fetus’s physiological adaptation in utero to changing environmental conditions or stimuli (e.g., maternal stress, poor maternal nutrition, environmental toxins) and the long-term consequences of this adaptation on the child’s postnatal development into adulthood. It is believed that the effects of fetal programming may predispose individuals to later health and mental health disorders. See Dutch Hunger Winter.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

ABR

abbreviation for auditory brainstem response. See brainstem auditory evoked response.