Prenatal and Perinatal Medicine and Psychology Towards Integrated Neurosciences: General Remarks and Future Perspectives

Prenatal and perinatal psychology and medicine is an interdisciplinary scientific field of research and practice with the scientific focus on prenatal and perinatal conditions of human life. Prenatal period of human life represents a crucial phase in human life during which crucial developmental processes and regulations take place and these serve as adaptation strategies and physiological capabilities for the next postnatal life´s periods. Moreover, it is generally accepted that experiences during critical periods of prenatal, perinatal and early childhood stages of life organize brain systems, and influence the immediate and long-term psychology and behavior of the individual. A great body of evidence indicates that human brain development is organized from the very early time after fertilization and human fetus exhibits behavioral patterns as well as processing of affective, social, sensory and other stimuli. New integrated approaches in the research of early fetal brain and human mind bring data elucidating unique processes involved in the complex human mind development. This rapidly developing field of integrated neurosciences in prenatal and perinatal medicine is reflected in growing knowledge and new fundamental findings in behavioral embryology, psychoimmunoneuroendocrinolgy, neurogenetics and neuroepigenetics, research of bonding and other scientific areas. New approaches in both research and clinical medicine could reinforce the current knowledge and establish new methods of primary and secondary prevention strategies as well as to contribute to the development of modern personalized medicine.
Radovan Hruby, MD, Ph.D. graduated in 2000 at the Jessenius Medical Faculty of Comenius University in Martin, Slovakia. He is trained in general psychiatry and neuropsychiatry. His research is about integrative neuroscience, including complex theories. He is a member of the scientific board of The Institute of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology, Medicine and Integrative Neuroscience at the St. Elizabeth University College of Health and Social Work in Bratislava, Slovakia and his mentor is Prof. Peter G. Fedor-Freybergh, MD, Ph.D., DSc, Dr.h.c. mult.. Contact: [email protected]. Professor Peter G. Fedor-Freybergh, M.D., Ph.D., Dr.H.C.Mult. is an obstetrician, gynecologist, psychiatrist, and child psychiatrist. He is director and chair at the Institute since 2006. He plays editorial roles at the highest level in many scientific journals. He is a professor in psychoneuroendocrinology, child and adolescent psychiatry, prenatal and perinatal psychology and medicine. President Life-time: International Society of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine (ISPPM).
Editor’s Note: This paper was previously published in the International Journal in Prenatal Perinatal Psychology Medicine Vol. 25, Issue 1–2 (2013), pp. 121–138. Key words: prenatal; perinatal; medicine; psychology; brain development; human mind; neuroscience