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Chronobiology, sleep-related risk factors and light therapy in perinatal depression: the "Life-ON" project

Simone Baiardi¹, Fabio Cirignotta¹, Alessandro Cicolin²

¹Department of Head, Neck and Sensory System, Neurology Unit, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

|November 6, 2016

Insights

This study investigates risk factors for perinatal depression (PND) and the effectiveness of bright light therapy (BLT). Findings aim to improve prevention and treatment strategies for mothers and infants.

Area of Science:

Perinatal mental health
Sleep medicine
Psychiatry

Background:

Perinatal depression (PND) affects approximately 12% of mothers, with significant risks to maternal and child well-being.
Current understanding of PND risk factors and safe treatments during pregnancy and breastfeeding is limited.
A strong bidirectional relationship exists between sleep disturbances and depression.

Purpose of the Study:

To systematically identify and characterize risk factors for PND through comprehensive sleep assessment and blood marker analysis.
To explore genetic predispositions to PND.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bright light therapy (BLT) for PND treatment and prevention.

Main Methods:

A 3-year longitudinal, observational, multicentre study involving approximately 500 pregnant women.
Prospective sleep assessment via wrist actigraphy, polysomnography, and questionnaires.
Blood-based biomarker analysis and genetic polymorphism investigation.

Main Results:

The study is ongoing; results are pending.
Characterization of predictive and risk factors for PND is anticipated.
Confirmation of BLT's safety and efficacy in PND prevention and treatment is expected.

Conclusions:

Identifying PND risk factors will enhance preventive strategies for maternal and child health.
Understanding the link between sleep disorders and PND is crucial.
The study aims to validate bright light therapy as a safe and effective intervention for perinatal depression.

Read full analysis

Abstract

Background:

Perinatal depression (PND) has an overall estimated prevalence of roughly 12 %. Untreated PND has significant negative consequences not only on the health of the mothers, but also on the physical, emotional and cognitive development of their children. No certain risk factors are known to predict PND and no completely safe drug treatments are available during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Sleep and depression are strongly related to each other because of a solid reciprocal causal relationship. Bright light therapy (BLT) is a well-tested and safe treatment, effective in both depression and circadian/sleep disorders.

Methods:

In a 3-year longitudinal, observational, multicentre study, about 500 women will be recruited and followed-up from early pregnancy (10-15 gestational week) until 12 months after delivery. The primary aim of the present study is to systematically explore and characterize risk factors for PND by prospective sleep assessment (using wrist actigraphy, polysomnography and various sleep questionnaires) and bloodbased analysis of potential markers during the perinatal period (Life-ON study). Secondary aims are to explore the relationship between specific genetic polymorphisms and PND (substudy Life-ON1), to investigate the effectiveness of BLT in treating PND (substudy Life-ON2) and to test whether a short term trial of BLT during pregnancy can prevent PND (substudy Life-ON3).

Discussion:

The characterization of specific predictive and risk factors for PND may substantially contribute to improve preventive medical and social strategies for the affected women. The study results are expected to promote a better understanding of the relationship between sleep disorders and the development of PND and to confirm, in a large sample of women, the safety and efficacy of BLT both in prevention and treatment of PND.

Trial Registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02664467 . Registered 13 January 2016.

Keywords:

Actigraphy Chronobiology Circadian rhythms Light therapy Perinatal depression Polysomnography Pregnancy Sleep Sleep disorders

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