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Prenatal depressive symptoms and childhood development of brain limbic and default mode network structure

Claire Donnici1, Xiangyu Long2,3, Jess Reynolds4

  • 1Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Human Brain Mapping
|January 24, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prenatal depression symptoms impact child brain development, affecting amygdala volume and limbic network efficiency. These findings highlight the long-term structural brain consequences of prenatal mood during critical developmental periods.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Prenatal depressive symptoms are associated with adverse child behavioral, cognitive, and psychopathological outcomes.
  • Previous research indicates a link between prenatal depression and child brain structure, particularly the amygdala.
  • The impact of prenatal depressive symptoms on the longitudinal development of brain structure is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and age-related changes in children's brain structure.
  • To examine the effects on amygdala and hippocampal volume, as well as the structural properties of the limbic and default-mode networks.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal T1-weighted and diffusion imaging data were collected from 111 children (aged 2.6–8 years).
  • Maternal depressive symptoms were measured during pregnancy.
  • Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the relationship between prenatal depressive symptoms and brain structure development, controlling for postnatal symptoms.

Main Results:

  • Higher second-trimester prenatal depressive symptoms correlated with more curvilinear trajectories in left amygdala volume.
  • Elevated third-trimester prenatal depressive symptoms were linked to slower age-related changes in limbic network global efficiency and average node degree.
  • These associations were observed in a sample with low sociodemographic risk.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal depressive symptoms, even at moderate levels, are associated with altered structural brain development in children.
  • Specific timing of prenatal depressive symptoms (second vs. third trimester) may differentially impact brain development trajectories.
  • Findings underscore the importance of maternal mental health during pregnancy for child brain development, particularly in emotion-processing regions and networks.

Keywords:
APrONMRIgraph theoryprenatal depressionstructural networkswhite matter

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