Predicting infant neurodevelopmental outcomes using the placenta?

Identifying those infants most at risk for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes is crucial to allow for targeted surveillance or preventative interventions to be instigated from birth. One intriguing possibility is to use the molecular characteristics of the placenta at birth as a 'molecular barometer' of the in utero experience to predict future infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. Here we highlight the recent advances in the field and discuss the possibilities for an integrated approach across the '-omics' categories.