Daijiworld Media Network- Madrid
Madrid, Mar 7: A groundbreaking study has revealed a connection between postpartum depression and changes in the hippocampus and amygdala of the brain during pregnancy. The research, published in Science Advances, provides the first evidence of how these brain structures transform in relation to childbirth experience and perinatal depression symptoms.
Postpartum depression affects approximately one in seven women after childbirth, yet little is known about the neurological changes that occur in affected individuals. Researchers have long attributed perinatal depression to hormonal fluctuations, genetic predisposition, and environmental stressors, but up to 50% of cases remain undiagnosed due to stigma and reluctance to seek help.
The latest study found that:
• Women who developed postpartum depression experienced an increase in the volume of their amygdala, a brain region associated with fear, emotions, and memory.
• Those who perceived childbirth as stressful showed an increase in the hippocampus, another area linked to emotional regulation and memory.
“It might be that those persons whose amygdala is more susceptible to change are also at higher risk of suffering postpartum depression. It can also be the other way around, that somehow these depression symptoms produce an increase in the amygdala volume,” said Susana Carmona, the study’s senior author and a neuroscientist at Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid.
The research involved 88 pregnant women (first-time mothers with no prior history of depression) and 30 non-pregnant women as a control group. Pregnant participants underwent brain scans in their third trimester and again one month after childbirth.
• After delivery, 15 women showed moderate symptoms of postpartum depression, while 13 had severe symptoms requiring medical attention.
• Stressful but uncomplicated childbirths were linked to a higher risk of developing postpartum depression.
These findings pave the way for further research on how brain changes influence mood disorders, anxiety, and postpartum depression. Understanding these changes may also aid in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of postpartum depression, ultimately improving maternal mental health care.