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Updated: Jun 14, 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
The neurobiology of postpartum depression
Elizabeth S Wenzel1, Rebekah Frye1, Roxann Roberson-Nay1
1Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Abstract:
Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication of pregnancy, posing significant health risks for both women and their children. Unlike other subtypes of major depressive disorder (MDD), PPD is thought to be biologically relatively homogenous, as it is precipitated by a specific biological trigger - the profound hormonal shifts associated with pregnancy and delivery. However, the underlying pathophysiology of PPD is still unclear, with a variety of biological factors likely at play. In this review, we examine recent biological findings related to neuroimaging, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, neuroactive steroids (NAS), epigenetics, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) and explore processes that may be unique to PPD versus those shared with MDD, along with avenues of future research aimed at PPD prevention and treatment.
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