The development of the brain and nervous system is shaped not just by a genetic program, but also by the effects of multiple environmental stimuli. There are currently no book-length treatments of perinatal neurodevelopment. This book fills this gap by presenting a collection of chapters from leading experts in the field. It is comprehensive and covers all aspects of neurodevelopmental programming in lab animals and in human subjects. The third section of the book looks at ways of translating insights we have garnered from animal studies to human and clinical studies. This book is beneficial for basic researchers interested in the effects of perinatal imprinting on the development of the nervous system and associated diseases.

Changes Induced by Prenatal Stress in Behavior and Brain Morphology. Can they be Prevented or Reversed?.- Sleep in Prenatally Restraint Stressed Rats, a Model of Anxious Depression.- Hormonal Modulation of Catecholaminergic Neurotransmission in a Prenatal Stress Model.- Involvement of Nitric Oxide, Neurotrophins and HPA Axis in Neurobehavioral Alterations Induced by Prenatal Stress.- Prenatal Stress and Adult Drug-seeking Behavior: Interactions with Genes and Relation to Non-drug Related Behavior.- A Self-medication Hypothesis for Increased Vulnerability to Drug Abuse in Prenatally Restraint Stressed Rats.- How Postnatal Insults May Program Development.- Studies in Animal Models.- Perinatal Positive and Negative Influences on the Early Neurobehavioral Reflex and Motor Development.- Short and Long-term Consequences of Perinatal Asphyxia: Looking for Neuroprotective Strategies.- Affective, Cognitive and Motivational Processes of Maternal Care.- Role of Sensory, Social and Hormonal Signals from the Mother on the Development of Offspring.- Retrospective Studies.- Prenatal Stress and its Effects on the Fetus and the Child; Possible Underlying Biological Mechanisms.- Using Natural Disasters to Study Prenatal Maternal Stress in Humans.- Early Life Influences on Cognition, Behavior and Emotion in Humans: From Birth to Age 20.- Perinatal Programming of Neurodevelopment. Epigenetic Mechanisms and the Prenatal Shaping of the Brain.- Epigenetic Mechanisms of Perinatal Programming: Translational Approaches from Rodent to Human and Back.- Perinatal Administration of Aromatase Inhibitors in Rodents as Animal Models of Human Male Homosexuality: Similarities and Differences.- Impact of the Perinatal Environment on Child Development: Implications for Prevention Policies.- Perinatal Programming Prevention Measures.- Pregnancy Outcomes after a Maternity Intervention for Stressful EmotionS (PROMISES): A Randomised Controlled Trial