Depression in Pregnant Women May Affect Babies' Brain Development

Depression among pregnant women may impact developing babies, a new study shows.

Research has already shown that children of parents with depression face an increased risk of developing the condition themselves due to both genetic and environmental factors.

In addition, these children also exhibit changes in the brain structure known as the amygdala, which plays an important role in regulating emotion and stress. Previous studies, however, have only assessed older children, leaving the timing of these changes unknown.

Published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, the new study may hold the answer.

Researchers led by Dr. Anqi Qiu of the National University of Singapore looked at 157 pregnant women who completed a questionnaire with questions related to depression during their 26th week of pregnancy. Within two weeks of the women giving birth, the scientists then ran scans to determine the structure of the babies' amygdala as well as examine the pattern of neural connections in it.

While the volumes of the newborns' amygdalas did not seem to differ based on the mothers' depression status, the researchers did uncover reduced structural connectivity in the right amygdala in those whose mothers exhibited high levels of depression.

Based on this, the researchers conclude that a propensity for abnormal amygdala function, which is a known feature of both mood and anxiety disorders, may be transmitted from a mother to a child during pregnancy.

"Attention to maternal health during pregnancy is an extremely high priority for society for many reasons," said Dr. John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry. "The notion that maternal depression might influence the brain development of their babies is very concerning. The good news is that this risk might be reduced by systematic screening of pregnant women for depression and initiating effective treatment."