MPAs have been linked to disorders of pregnancy and are thought by some to be a marker for insults to the fetal neural development towards the end of the first trimester. Thus, in the neurodevelopmental literature, they are seen as indirect indications of interferences with brain development.
Medical professionals have linked maternal-fetal interactions (MPAs) to issues during pregnancy and believe they may indicate problems with fetal brain development in the latter part of the first trimester.  In the field of neurodevelopment, these findings are seen as evidence of disruptions in brain development.