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Updated: May 14, 2026
06:39
Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Affective information processing in pregnancy and postpartum with and without major depression
Jackie K Gollan1, Denada Hoxha, Sarah Getch
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, United States. j-gollan@northwestern.edu
Psychiatry Research
|January 24, 2013
Summary
Depression during pregnancy and postpartum affects how women process negative information. Lower reactivity to negative stimuli in pregnancy predicted more severe postpartum depression symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Adults with clinical depression show altered processing of emotional information.
- Pregnancy and postpartum are critical periods for mood disorders, impacting women's mental health.
- Understanding affective processing is crucial for identifying and managing depression in these phases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how major depressive disorder (MDD) and reproductive phases influence affective processing.
- To determine if affective processing during pregnancy predicts postpartum depressive symptoms.
- To investigate blunted affective reactivity in depressed pregnant and postpartum women.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 80 unmedicated women (18-44 years) with MDD or no psychiatric disorder.
- Collected data during late pregnancy (32-36 weeks) and early postpartum (6-8 weeks).
- Utilized DSM-IV Axis I review, symptom reports, and a computer task for affective information processing.
Main Results:
- Postpartum women with MDD showed reduced responsiveness to negative stimuli compared to healthy controls.
- Depressed women rated negative stimuli with lower intensity and reaction.
- Reduced negative stimulus processing during pregnancy predicted higher postpartum depression severity.
Conclusions:
- Blunted affective reactivity to negative stimuli is a key characteristic of depression observed in pregnant and postpartum women.
- Affective processing during pregnancy serves as a predictor for postpartum depression severity.
- Findings highlight the importance of assessing affective processing in perinatal mental health.
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