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Li M. Roadmap for maternal behavior research in domestic dogs: lessons from decades of laboratory rodent work. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1394201. [PMID: 38993275 PMCID: PMC11236756 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1394201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Maternal behavior research in laboratory rats has revealed important behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms governing the onset, maintenance and decline of maternal behavior. However, the extent to which these mechanisms are evolutionarily conserved across species is less clear. This manuscript proposes that examining these mechanisms in dogs may be a viable approach to test their generality and help bridge the gap between rodent and human research, as domestic dogs show greater individual differences and exhibit more human-like maternal characteristics than rodents. These aspects represent advantages over rodent models, which in turn allow systems biological approaches not available in rodents. Additionally, domestic dogs share similar social environments with humans, suffer from the same mental disorders as humans, and can be treated with the same medications. This paper begins with a summary of key findings and theoretical developments from decades of rat maternal behavior research, followed by a literature review of the extant maternal behavior research on dogs and related methodology, highlighting the unique behavioral characteristics of dog maternal behavior and similarities and differences from rat maternal behavior. Finally, several knowledge gaps in dog maternal behavior research, as well as the future research in this area is discussed. It concludes that research on dog maternal behavior will not only advance our understanding of the universality of the neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms in maternal behavior, but also improve our understanding of risk factors associated with postpartum mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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2
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Lotter LD, Nehls S, Losse E, Dukart J, Chechko N. Temporal dissociation between local and global functional adaptations of the maternal brain to childbirth: a longitudinal assessment. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01880-9. [PMID: 38769432 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01880-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The maternal brain undergoes significant reorganization during birth and the postpartum period. However, the temporal dynamics of these changes remain unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we report on local and global brain function alterations in 75 mothers in their first postpartum week, compared to 23 nulliparous women. In a subsample followed longitudinally for the next six months, we observed a temporal and spatial dissociation between changes observed at baseline (cluster mass permutation: pFWE < 0.05). Local activity and connectivity changes in widespread neocortical regions persisted throughout the studied time period (ANCOVAs vs. controls: pFDR < 0.05), with preliminary evidence linking these alterations to behavioral and psychological adaptations (interaction effect with postpartum time: uncorrected p < 0.05). In contrast, the initially reduced whole-brain connectivity of putamen-centered subcortical areas returned to control levels within six to nine weeks postpartum (linear and quadratic mixed linear models: pFDR < 0.05). The whole-brain spatial colocalization with hormone receptor distributions (Spearman correlations: pFDR < 0.05) and preliminary blood hormone associations (interaction effect with postpartum time: uncorrected p < 0.05) suggested that the postpartum restoration of progesterone levels may underlie this rapid normalization. These observations enhance our understanding of healthy maternal brain function, contributing to the identification of potential markers for pathological postpartum adaptation processes, which in turn could underlie postpartum psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon D Lotter
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Max Planck School of Cognition; Stephanstrasse 1A, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Susanne Nehls
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Elena Losse
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Juergen Dukart
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Natalya Chechko
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
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3
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Meyer JH, Wang Z, Santhirakumar A, Dowlati Y, Docteur N, Shoaib A, Purnava J, Wang Y, Wang W, Chen S, Husain MI, de Silva Wijeyeratne R, Reeyaz H, Baena-Tan C, Koshimori Y, Nasser Z, Sit V. Dietary supplement for mood symptoms in early postpartum: a double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine 2024; 71:102593. [PMID: 38813444 PMCID: PMC11133796 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Postpartum blues (PPB) is a frequent syndrome of sad mood, crying spells, anxiety, restlessness, reduced appetite, and irritability, typically peaking day 5 postpartum. When severe, it greatly increases risk for later postpartum depression. This trial compared a dietary supplement to placebo on PPB severity. The supplement was designed to counter downstream effects of elevated monoamine oxidase A level, implicated in causing PPB. Methods Participants recruited by advertisement from the Toronto region completed procedures at CAMH, Canada and/or participants' homes. Oral supplement or identical appearing relatively inert placebo were administered in randomised, double-blind fashion. Supplement was blueberry juice and extract given four times between nighttime day 3 and morning day 5 postpartum; tryptophan 2 g nighttime day 4 postpartum, and tyrosine 10 g morning day 5 postpartum. On day 5, depressed mood induction procedure (MIP) and postpartum blues were assessed. All data is presented (NCT03296956 closed, clinicaltrials.gov). Findings Between January 2019 and December 2022, participants took supplement (n = 51) or placebo (n = 52). There was no significant effect on primary outcome MIP on visual analogue scale for depressed mood (mean difference = -0.39 mm, 95% CI: -6.42 to 5.65 mm). Stein Maternity Blues scores, exploratory PPB measure, was lower in the active group (effect size 0.62; median, interquartile range (IQR): active 2.00 (IQR 1, 4); placebo 4.00 (IQR 1.5, 6); regression with general linear model, supplement effect, β coefficient = -1.50 (95%: CI -2.60, -0.40), p = 0.008; effect of CES-D crying category before supplement, p = 0.03-0.00000023). Twenty-six and 40 different adverse events occurred within 25% and 42% of supplement and placebo cases respectively (Chi-Square, p = 0.06). Interpretation The primary outcome was negative for effect on depressed mood induction, however the supplement moderately reduced PPB. Funding CAMH/Exeltis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey H. Meyer
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - ZhaoHui Wang
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Apitharani Santhirakumar
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Yekta Dowlati
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Natalia Docteur
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Aqsa Shoaib
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Jareeat Purnava
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Yanqi Wang
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Wei Wang
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Sheng Chen
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Muhammad I. Husain
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Rashmi de Silva Wijeyeratne
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Heba Reeyaz
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Catalina Baena-Tan
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Yuko Koshimori
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Zahra Nasser
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Valery Sit
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, 8th Floor, Toronto, M5T 1R8, Canada
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Chou S, Wu R, Li M. Long-term impacts of prenatal maternal immune activation and postnatal maternal separation on maternal behavior in adult female rats: Relevance to postpartum mental disorders. Behav Brain Res 2024; 461:114831. [PMID: 38142861 PMCID: PMC10872411 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Early life adversities are known to exert long-term negative impacts on psychological and brain functions in adulthood. The present work examined how a prenatal brain insult and a postnatal stressor independently or interactively influence the quality of maternal care of postpartum female rats and their cognitive and emotional functions, as a way to identify the behavioral dysfunctions underlying childhood trauma-induced postpartum mental disorders (as indexed by impaired maternal care). Sprague-Dawley female offspring born from mother rats exposed to polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PolyI:C, 4.0-6.0 mg/kg) intended to cause gestational maternal immune activation (MIA) or saline were subjected to a repeated maternal separation stress (RMS, 3 h/day) or no separation for 9 days in the first two weeks of life (a 2 × 2 design). When these offspring became mothers, their attentional filtering ability (as measured in the prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex test), positive hedonic response (as measured in the sucrose preference test), and negative emotional response (as measured in the startle reflex and fear-potentiated startle test) were examined, along with their home-cage maternal behavior. Virgin littermates served as controls in all the behavioral tests except in maternal behavior. Results showed that mother rats who experienced RMS displayed impaired nest building and crouching/nursing activities. RMS also interacted with MIA to alter pup retrieval latency and startle reactivity, such that MIA-RMS dams demonstrated significantly slower pup retrieval latency and higher startle magnitude compared to either RMS-only and MIA-only mothers. MIA also disrupted attentional filtering ability, with significantly lower prepulse inhibition. However, neither prenatal MIA nor postnatal RMS impaired sucrose preference or the acquisition of fear-potentiated startle. These results indicate that prenatal stress and postnatal adversity could impair maternal behavior individually, and interact with each other, causing impairments in attention, emotion and maternal motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinnyi Chou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ruiyong Wu
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
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5
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Nehls S, Losse E, Enzensberger C, Frodl T, Chechko N. Time-sensitive changes in the maternal brain and their influence on mother-child attachment. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:84. [PMID: 38331939 PMCID: PMC10853535 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02805-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are characterized by an increased neuroplasticity in the maternal brain. To explore the dynamics of postpartum changes in gray matter volume (GMV), magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 20 healthy postpartum women immediately after childbirth and at 3-week intervals for 12 postpartum weeks. The control group comprised 20 age-matched nulliparous women. The first 6 postpartum weeks (constituting the subacute postpartum period) are associated with decreasing progesterone levels and a massive restructuring in GMV, affecting the amygdala/hippocampus, the prefrontal/subgenual cortex, and the insula, which approach their sizes in nulliparous women only around weeks 3-6 postpartum. Based on the amygdala volume shortly after delivery, the maternal brain can be reliably distinguished from the nulliparous brain. Even 12 weeks after childbirth, the GMV in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and the cortical thickness of the subgenual and lateral prefrontal cortices do not reach the pre-pregnancy levels. During this period, a volume decrease is seen in the cerebellum, the thalamus, and the dorsal striatum. A less hostile behavior toward the child at 6-12 weeks postpartum is predicted by the GMV change in the amygdala, the temporal pole, the olfactory gyrus, the anterior cingulate, the thalamus and the cerebellum in the same period. In summary, the restructuring of the maternal brain follows time-dependent trajectories. The fact that the volume changes persist at 12 weeks postpartum indicates that the maternal brain does not fully revert to pre-pregnancy physiology. Postpartum neuroplasticity suggests that these changes may be particularly significant in the regions important for parenting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Nehls
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Elena Losse
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Frodl
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Center for Intervention and Research on Adaptive and Maladaptive Brain Circuits Underlying Mental Health (C-I-R-C), Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, Germany
| | - Natalia Chechko
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behavior (INM-7), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
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Paternina-Die M, Martínez-García M, Martín de Blas D, Noguero I, Servin-Barthet C, Pretus C, Soler A, López-Montoya G, Desco M, Carmona S. Women's neuroplasticity during gestation, childbirth and postpartum. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:319-327. [PMID: 38182834 PMCID: PMC10849958 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01513-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Pregnancy is a unique neuroplastic period in adult life. This longitudinal study tracked brain cortical changes during the peripartum period and explored how the type of childbirth affects these changes. We collected neuroanatomic, obstetric and neuropsychological data from 110 first-time mothers during late pregnancy and early postpartum, as well as from 34 nulliparous women evaluated at similar time points. During late pregnancy, mothers showed lower cortical volume than controls across all functional networks. These cortical differences attenuated in the early postpartum session. Default mode and frontoparietal networks showed below-expected volume increases during peripartum, suggesting that their reductions may persist longer. Results also pointed to different cortical trajectories in mothers who delivered by scheduled C-section. The main findings were replicated in an independent sample of 29 mothers and 24 nulliparous women. These data suggest a dynamic trajectory of cortical decreases during pregnancy that attenuates in the postpartum period, at a different rate depending on the brain network and childbirth type.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Paternina-Die
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Magdalena Martínez-García
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Martín de Blas
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Bioingeniería, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés Noguero
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Camila Servin-Barthet
- Unitat de Recerca en Neurociéncia Cognitiva, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Anna Soler
- Unitat de Recerca en Neurociéncia Cognitiva, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Fundació IMIM, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gonzalo López-Montoya
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Health Science, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), La Rioja, Spain
| | - Manuel Desco
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Bioingeniería, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Carmona
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
- CIBER de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
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Long X, Zhou Y, Zhang F, Li F, Wang X, Meng Y, Roberts N, Cheng B, Jia Z. Altered MRI Diffusion Properties of the White Matter Tracts Connecting Frontal and Thalamic Brain Regions in First-Episode, Drug-Naïve Patients With Postpartum Depression. J Magn Reson Imaging 2023; 57:899-906. [PMID: 35796680 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although progress has been made in exploring postpartum depression (PPD), the involvement of cerebral structure connectivity in PPD patients keeps unclear. PURPOSE To explore structural connectivity alternations in mothers with PPD, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and automated fiber quantification (AFQ) were used to calculate brain white matter microstructure properties. STUDY TYPE Cross-sectional. POPULATION A total of 51 women with first-episode, treatment-näive PPD, and 49 matched healthy postpartum women (HPW) controls. FIELD STRENGTH A 3.0 T; single-shot echo-planar imaging sequence. ASSESSMENT DTI measurements of fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity (MD) were obtained for 18 specific white matter tracts. The relationship between PDD symptoms, hormone levels, and postpartum days was also investigated. STATISTICAL TESTS Two sample t test and Pearson's correlation analysis. The analysis was performed by using a permutation-based multiple-comparison correction approach, with the threshold of P < 0.05 (family wise error corrected [FWE-corrected]) separately across the four different outcome measures. RESULTS Women with PPD showed significantly increased FA and AD in right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) tract and significantly increased FA and significantly reduced RD in the cingulum tract, compared to women without PPD. The RD values of right cingulum were significantly positively correlated with postpartum days in HPW (r = 0.39). There were no significant relationships between brain measures and hormone levels in either patients or controls. DATA CONCLUSIONS DTI measures have revealed altered integrity in the white matter of the cortical-thalamic circuits in women with PPD compared to HPW. Damage to these circuits may be a structural basis for the impaired emotional regulation and blunted mother-infant bonding in mothers with PPD and a potential target for the development of new treatments. EVIDENCE LEVEL 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xipeng Long
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yushan Zhou
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Feifei Zhang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Fei Li
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiuli Wang
- Department of Clinical Psychology, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
| | - Yajing Meng
- Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Neil Roberts
- School of Clinical Sciences, the Queens Medical Research Institute (QMRI), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Bochao Cheng
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhiyun Jia
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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8
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Yang W, Jiang Y, Ma L, Xiao M, Liu M, Ren Z, Hu L, Zhang Y. Cortical and subcortical morphological alterations in postpartum depression. Behav Brain Res 2023; 447:114414. [PMID: 37001820 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common postpartum psychiatric disorder, which can negatively affect both mothers and their offspring. Although the functional changes of PPD have been extensively studied, little is known about its structural abnormalities. This study aimed to examine the cortical and subcortical morphological abnormalities in PPD. High resolution T1 structural MRI data of 29 PPD women and 23 matched healthy postpartum women (HPW) were included in this study. Using surface-based morphometry, we examined the differences between the PPD and HPW group in the cortical thickness, local gyrification index and shape changes of deep gray matter nuclei. Compared with the HPW group, women with PPD showed significantly increased cortical thickness in the left superior frontal gyrus, cuneus and right lingual gyrus and fusiform gyrus, which correlated marginally with the EPDS scores of these subjects. In addition, women with PPD showed significant regional inflation in the right pallidum compared with the HPW group. These findings provided further evidence for the structural brain abnormalities in PPD.
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9
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Chechko N, Stickel S, Votinov M. Neural responses to monetary incentives in postpartum women affected by baby blues. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 148:105991. [PMID: 36463750 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Up to 50% of new mothers experience baby blues (BB) within a week of delivery, with affective disturbances being the central symptoms. Because reward processing is known to be affected in depression, this study sought to investigate whether incentive processing during the experience of BB can be altered through the monetary incentive delay (MID) task. The MID task allows reward processing to be investigated based on responses to 'anticipation' and 'feedback of reward or loss'. 60 women participated in the fMRI-based MID task within 1-6 days of delivery, and 50% of them developed BB within the first few postpartum weeks. Over a 12-week observation period, a greater number of women in the BB group (52% vs. 13%) developed psychiatric conditions, with 24% of women with BB developing postpartum depression compared to only 3% of those without BB. During the feedback trials of the MID task, women with BB, compared to those without, showed increased activation in both the winning and losing trials (the temporal areas, the insula, the midbrain, and the inferior frontal gyrus). During the anticipation trials, however, subjects affected by BB showed reduced activation in the pregenual and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortices (pg/sg ACC). Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that the BB-related time window overlaps with alterations in the brain networks associated with incentive processing. Given the involvement of pg/sgACC in the development of depressive mood, the weaker involvement of these brain regions during anticipation in participants affected by BB is of particular interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Chechko
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strasse, 52428 Jülich, Germany.
| | - Susanne Stickel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Mikhail Votinov
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
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10
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Yoon J, Gu J, Martin KB. A Novel Treatment of Postpartum Depression and Review of Literature. Cureus 2022; 14:e22373. [PMID: 35371824 PMCID: PMC8938255 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.22373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-onset postpartum depression has been shown to have a unique neurobiological basis compared to major depressive disorder, implying a need for targeted treatments such as the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved brexanolone. In this case report, a woman with a past medical history of major depressive disorder was diagnosed with postpartum depression due to worsening mood with suicidal and homicidal ideations. She was treated with vilazodone and aripiprazole with good effect after consideration of her past medication trials. Her regimen is unique in clinical practice and not reported in current literature for the treatment of postpartum depression. It may represent a safe and effective medication choice, especially in the context of current first-line treatments that have a high treatment failure rate. More research is needed to find treatments that address the unique challenges of postpartum women.
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11
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Mundorf A, Bölükbas I, Freund N. Maternal separation: Does it hold the potential to model consequences of postpartum depression? Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22219. [PMID: 35050513 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The postpartum period is a sensitive time where women are especially vulnerable to develop postpartum depression (PPD), with 10%-15% of women affected. This review investigates whether the maternal separation (MS) paradigm in rodents holds the potential to help to understand mothers suffering from PPD. MS is a well-established stress model to investigate effects on infants, whereas effects on the dam are often overlooked. The database PubMed was searched for studies investigating effects of daily MS within the first weeks after parturition on dams in rats and mice and compared to findings in PPD mothers. MS was categorized as brief MS (5-45 min) with or without handling of pups and long MS (3-4 h and longer). MS alters maternal care, depressive-like behavior, anxiety, and aggression; leads to alterations in neuronal gene expression; and affects hormone and neurotransmitter levels similar to observations in PPD patients. Even though there are disparities between human and rodent mothers, with some results differing in directionality, as well as the reason for separation (self-induced in PPD, externally induced in MS), the overall effects found on neurobiological, hormonal, and behavioral levels mostly coincide. Thus, the MS paradigm can add relevant knowledge to existing PPD animal models, further advancing the study of PPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annakarina Mundorf
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,Institute for Systems Medicine and Department of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ibrahim Bölükbas
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Nadja Freund
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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12
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Martínez-García M, Cardenas SI, Pawluski J, Carmona S, Saxbe DE. Recent Neuroscience Advances in Human Parenting. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 27:239-267. [PMID: 36169818 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The transition to parenthood entails brain adaptations to the demands of caring for a newborn. This chapter reviews recent neuroscience findings on human parenting, focusing on neuroimaging studies. First, we describe the brain circuits underlying human maternal behavior, which comprise ancient subcortical circuits and more sophisticated cortical regions. Then, we present the short-term and long-term functional and structural brain adaptations that characterize the transition to motherhood, discuss the long-term effects of parenthood on the brain, and propose several underlying neural mechanisms. We also review neuroimaging findings in biological fathers and alloparents (such as other relatives or adoptive parents), who engage in parenting without directly experiencing pregnancy or childbirth. Finally, we describe perinatal mental illnesses and discuss the neural responses associated with such disorders. To date, studies indicate that parenthood is a period of enhanced brain plasticity within brain areas critical for cognitive and social processing and that both parenting experience and gestational-related factors can prime such plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Martínez-García
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sofia I Cardenas
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jodi Pawluski
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), Rennes, France
| | - Susanna Carmona
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Darby E Saxbe
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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13
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Chechko N, Dukart J, Tchaikovski S, Enzensberger C, Neuner I, Stickel S. The Expectant Brain-Pregnancy Leads to Changes in Brain Morphology in the Early Postpartum Period. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:4025-4038. [PMID: 34942007 PMCID: PMC9476604 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence that pregnancy may have a significant impact on the maternal brain, causing changes in its structure. To investigate the patterns of these changes, we compared nulliparous women (n = 40) with a group of primiparous women (n = 40) and multiparous mothers (n = 37) within 1–4 days postpartum, using voxel-based and surface-based morphometry (SBM). Compared with the nulliparous women, the young mothers showed decreases in gray matter volume in the bilateral hippocampus/amygdala, the orbitofrontal/subgenual prefrontal area, the right superior temporal gyrus and insula, and the cerebellum. These pregnancy-related changes in brain structure did not predict the quality of mother–infant attachment at either 3 or 12 weeks postpartum nor were they more pronounced among the multiparous women. SBM analyses showed significant cortical thinning especially in the frontal and parietal cortices, with the parietal cortical thinning likely potentiated by multiple pregnancies. We conclude that, compared with the brain of nulliparous women, the maternal brain shows widespread morphological changes shortly after childbirth. Also, the experience of pregnancy alone may not be the underlying cause of the adaptations for mothering. As regards the exact biological function of the changes in brain morphology, longitudinal research will be needed to draw any definitive conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Chechko
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
| | - Jürgen Dukart
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany.,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Svetlana Tchaikovski
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Christian Enzensberger
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Irene Neuner
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
| | - Susanne Stickel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
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14
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Martínez-García M, Paternina-Die M, Desco M, Vilarroya O, Carmona S. Characterizing the Brain Structural Adaptations Across the Motherhood Transition. Front Glob Womens Health 2021; 2:742775. [PMID: 34816246 PMCID: PMC8593951 DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2021.742775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Women that become mothers face notable physiological adaptations during this life-period. Neuroimaging studies of the last decade have provided grounded evidence that women's brains structurally change across the transition into motherhood. The characterization of this brain remodeling is currently in its early years of research. The current article reviews this scientific field by focusing on our longitudinal (pre-to-post pregnancy) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies in first-time parents and other longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of parents. We present the questions that are currently being answered by the parental brain literature and point out those that have not yet been explored. We also highlight potential confounding variables that need to be considered when analyzing and interpreting brain changes observed during motherhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Martínez-García
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Paternina-Die
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Desco
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Bioingeniería e Ingeniería Aeroespacial, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar Vilarroya
- Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susanna Carmona
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
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15
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Schnakenberg P, Hahn L, Stickel S, Stickeler E, Habel U, Eickhoff SB, Chechko N, Dukart J. Examining early structural and functional brain alterations in postpartum depression through multimodal neuroimaging. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13551. [PMID: 34193913 PMCID: PMC8245412 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92882-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 1 in 10 women after childbirth. A thorough understanding of a preexisting vulnerability to PPD will likely aid the early detection and treatment of PPD. Using a within-sample association, the study examined whether the brain's structural and functional alterations predict the onset of depression. 157 euthymic postpartum women were subjected to a multimodal MRI scan within the first 6 days of childbirth and were followed up for 12 weeks. Based on a clinical interview 12 weeks postpartum, participants were classified as mentally healthy or having either PPD or adjustment disorder (AD). Voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity comparisons were performed between the three groups. 13.4% of women in our study developed PPD (n = 21) and 12.1% (n = 19) adjustment disorder (AD). The risk factors for PPD were a psychiatric history and the experience and severity of baby blues and the history of premenstrual syndrome. Despite the different risk profiles, no differences between the PPD, AD and control group were apparent based on structural and functional neuroimaging data immediately after childbirth. At 12 weeks postpartum, a significant association was observed between Integrated Local Correlation (LCor) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS). Our findings do not support the notion that the brain's structural and resting-state functional alterations, if present, can be used as an early biomarker of PPD or AD. However, effects may become apparent if continuous measures of symptom severity are chosen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Schnakenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. .,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany. .,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Lisa Hahn
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Susanne Stickel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Elmar Stickeler
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Natalia Chechko
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Juergen Dukart
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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16
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Luders E, Gaser C, Gingnell M, Engman J, Sundström Poromaa I, Kurth F. Significant increases of the amygdala between immediate and late postpartum: Pronounced effects within the superficial subregion. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2261-2270. [PMID: 34101893 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Research exploring the underlying neuroanatomical correlates of early motherhood seems to suggest that the period after giving birth is marked by tissue increases in the mother's brain. While some studies point to the amygdala as one of the areas undergoing postpartum changes, existing analyses did not discriminate between the different subregions of this functionally heterogeneous structure. Thus, to further extend this understudied field of research and to better understand the potential role of the amygdala when transitioning to motherhood, we applied an advanced region-of-interest technique that enabled us to analyze the amygdala as a whole as well as its different subareas, specifically the left and right centromedian (CM), laterobasal (LB), and superficial (SF) regions. Comparing the brains of 14 healthy women between immediate postpartum (within 1-2 days of childbirth) and late postpartum (at 4-6 weeks after childbirth), we revealed increases of the amygdala. However, effects manifested differentially across subareas, with particularly strong effects for the SF region, moderate effects for the CM region, and no effects for the LB region. These findings might reflect region-specific adaptations of the mother's brain tuning into the distinct and ever-changing needs of a newborn, either as a cause for it or as a consequence thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Luders
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christian Gaser
- Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Malin Gingnell
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jonas Engman
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Florian Kurth
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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17
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de Lange AMG, Jacobs EG, Galea LAM. The scientific body of knowledge: Whose body does it serve? A spotlight on women's brain health. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 60:100898. [PMID: 33383040 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Marie G de Lange
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences - Department of Clinical Neurosciences, CHUV and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Emily G Jacobs
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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