Summary: A new study reports of reduced cortical thickness in the offspring of women who suffered from depression both during and after pregnancy.
Source: Elsevier.
Depressive symptoms in women during and after pregnancy are associated with reduced thickness of the cortex–the outer layer of the brain responsible for complex thought and behavior–in preschool-age kids, according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry. The findings suggest that a mother’s mood may affect her child’s brain development at critical stages in life.
“Mothers generally want to do everything they can to give their offspring the best possible chance of success in life. They often make sure to eat well and to take special vitamins,” said John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. “This new study now suggests that another thing they may be able to do is to make sure that they are treated for their depression.”
Eighteen percent of women experience depression some time during pregnancy, and both perinatal and postpartum depression have been associated with negative outcomes in children. The new study, led by Catherine Lebel of the University of Calgary in Alberta, is the first to report associations between maternal depression and abnormal brain structure in kids at this age.
The researchers screened 52 women for depressive symptoms during each trimester of pregnancy and a few months after the child was born. The women ranged in the presence of symptoms, some with no or few symptoms, and some meeting the screening criteria for depression. When the children reached about 2.5 to 5 years old, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure their brain structure.
Women with higher depressive symptoms tended to have children with thinner frontal and temporal areas, cortical regions implicated in tasks involving inhibition and attention control. The researchers also found an association between depressive symptoms and abnormal white matter in the frontal area, the fiber tracts connecting the region to other areas in the brain.
These associations were only found when symptoms occurred during the second trimester and postpartum, suggesting these periods are particularly critical times for child brain development.
Cortical thinning is a normal aspect of brain development during early childhood, so Lebel says the findings suggest that the brain may be developing prematurely in children whose mothers experience more depressive symptoms.
Abnormalities in brain structure during critical periods in development have often been associated with negative outcomes, such as learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. Additionally, the brain structure abnormalities identified in this study reflect those found in children with depression or at high risk for developing the disorder, suggesting that these alterations may be why children of mothers with perinatal depression are more vulnerable to depression later in life.
Although the mechanism behind the association remains a mystery, the findings may have implications for minimizing risks of atypical brain development in children.
“Our findings underscore the importance of monitoring and supporting mental health in mothers not just in the postpartum period, but also during pregnancy,” said Lebel.
Source: Rhiannon Bugno – Elsevier
Image Source: This NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “Prepartum and Postpartum Maternal Depressive Symptoms Are Related to Children’s Brain Structure in Preschool” by Catherine Lebel, Matthew Walton, Nicole Letourneau, Gerald F. Giesbrecht, Bonnie J. Kaplan, and Deborah Dewey in Biological Psychiatry. Published online November 2016 doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.12.004
[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]Elsevier. “Depression During Pregnancy Linked to Abnormal Brain Structure in Children.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 15 November 2016.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/pregnancy-depression-brain-structure-5523/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]Elsevier. (2016, November 15). Depression During Pregnancy Linked to Abnormal Brain Structure in Children. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from https://neurosciencenews.com/pregnancy-depression-brain-structure-5523/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]Elsevier. “Depression During Pregnancy Linked to Abnormal Brain Structure in Children.” https://neurosciencenews.com/pregnancy-depression-brain-structure-5523/ (accessed November 15, 2016).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]
Abstract
Prepartum and Postpartum Maternal Depressive Symptoms Are Related to Children’s Brain Structure in Preschool
Background
Perinatal maternal depression is a serious health concern with potential lasting negative consequences for children. Prenatal depression is associated with altered brain gray matter in children, though relations between postpartum depression and children’s brains and the role of white matter are unclear.
Methods
We studied 52 women who provided Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores during each trimester of pregnancy and at 3 months postpartum and their children who underwent magnetic resonance imaging at age 2.6 to 5.1 years. Associations between maternal depressive symptoms and magnetic resonance imaging measures of cortical thickness and white matter structure in the children were investigated.
Results
Women’s second trimester EPDS scores negatively correlated with children’s cortical thickness in right inferior frontal and middle temporal regions and with radial and mean diffusivity in white matter emanating from the inferior frontal area. Cortical thickness, but not diffusivity, correlations survived correction for postpartum EPDS. Postpartum EPDS scores negatively correlated with children’s right superior frontal cortical thickness and with diffusivity in white matter originating from that region, even after correcting for prenatal EPDS.
Conclusions
Higher maternal depressive symptoms prenatally and postpartum are associated with altered gray matter structure in children; the observed white matter correlations appear to be uniquely related to the postpartum period. The reduced thickness and diffusivity suggest premature brain development in children exposed to higher maternal perinatal depressive symptoms. These results highlight the importance of ensuring optimal women’s mental health throughout the perinatal period, because maternal depressive symptoms appear to increase children’s vulnerability to nonoptimal brain development.
“Prepartum and Postpartum Maternal Depressive Symptoms Are Related to Children’s Brain Structure in Preschool” by Catherine Lebel, Matthew Walton, Nicole Letourneau, Gerald F. Giesbrecht, Bonnie J. Kaplan, and Deborah Dewey in Biological Psychiatry. Published online November 2016 doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.12.004
