Liu Q, et al. - Researchers examined how normal range maternal blood pressure (BP) influence child neurodevelopment, and the possible role of placental 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2) therein. They measured maternal third-trimester BP (systolic and diastolic BP, SBP and DBP) and cord glucocorticoids (cortisol and cortisone), a marker reflecting placental 11β-HSD2 activity, among 1,008 mother-child pairs recruited in Wuhan, China, in 2013-2015. An association of each 5 mmHg increase in maternal third-trimester SBP was observed with 1.54 points decrease in the Mental Development Index (MDI) and 1.23 points decrease in the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI). They noted a similar association between DBP and Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID). In addition, significant associations were noted between cord cortisol/cortisone ratio and PDI, as well as between maternal BP and cord cortisol/cortisone ratio. These findings thus support that child neurodevelopment could be affected in correlation with increased maternal normal range BP. Furthermore, it was identified that the process may involve placental 11β-HSD2 activity.