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Updated: Oct 31, 2025
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
Examining early structural and functional brain alterations in postpartum depression through multimodal neuroimaging
Patricia Schnakenberg1,2,3, Lisa Hahn4,5, Susanne Stickel6,7
1Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. pschnakenber@ukaachen.de.
Postpartum depression (PPD) and adjustment disorder (AD) were not predicted by brain imaging scans taken shortly after childbirth. Later assessments showed some functional connectivity changes correlated with symptom severity, suggesting potential for future biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Postpartum depression (PPD) affects a significant number of women, necessitating early detection methods.
- Understanding preexisting vulnerabilities may improve PPD diagnosis and treatment.
- Neuroimaging may offer objective biomarkers for predicting PPD onset.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if early postpartum brain structural and functional alterations predict the development of PPD or adjustment disorder (AD).
- To identify potential neuroimaging biomarkers for PPD and AD risk assessment.
Main Methods:
- 157 euthymic women underwent multimodal MRI scans within 6 days of childbirth.
- Participants were monitored for 12 weeks and assessed for PPD or AD via clinical interview.
- Voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity analyses were conducted.
Main Results:
- 13.4% developed PPD and 12.1% developed AD; risk factors included psychiatric history and 'baby blues' severity.
- No significant differences in structural or functional neuroimaging data were found between PPD, AD, and control groups immediately postpartum.
- A correlation between Integrated Local Correlation (LCor) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS) emerged at 12 weeks postpartum.
Conclusions:
- Early postpartum neuroimaging (structural and functional) does not appear to serve as a reliable biomarker for PPD or AD.
- Functional connectivity changes later in the postpartum period may correlate with symptom severity.
- Further research using continuous symptom measures might reveal earlier neuroimaging markers.
