The Neural Signatures of Postpartum Depression - A Retrospective Structural MRI Study
Poster No:
512
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Sofia Attolini1, Julia Wildschut1, Malek Bajbouj1, Laura Schäfer2, Ilona Croy3, Simone Grimm4, Carina Koeppel*1
Institutions:
1Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Berlin, Germany, 2Uniklinikum Dresden Berlin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Dresden, Germany, 3Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena, Lehrstuhl für Klinische Psychologie, Jena, Germany, 4Medical School Berlin, Fakultät Naturwissenschaften, Berlin, Germany
First Author:
Sofia Attolini
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Co-Author(s):
Julia Wildschut
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Malek Bajbouj
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Laura Schäfer
Uniklinikum Dresden Berlin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik
Dresden, Germany
Uniklinikum Dresden Berlin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik
Dresden, Germany
Carina Koeppel*
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
Berlin, Germany
Introduction:
Growing evidence suggests that the perinatal period is marked by significant neuroplastic changes (Martínez-García, 2021). Structural MRI studies report that, even two years after giving birth, healthy mothers exhibit lower grey matter volume (GMV) compared to healthy nulliparous women (Hoekzema, 2017). However, evidence regarding GMV changes in mothers with postpartum depression (PPD) remains inconclusive, with some studies suggesting increased GMV (Chen, 2023). The present study aims to investigate GMV differences among healthy nulliparous women, healthy mothers, and mothers with PPD, and to explore how these changes relate to mother-infant bonding, depressive symptoms and maternal self-confidence.
Methods:
Our sample included n = 20 healthy nulliparous women, n = 32 healthy mothers (0-18 months postpartum), and n = 18 mothers with PPD (0-18 months postpartum), who underwent 3T and 1.5T MRI scans. Mother-infant bonding was assessed using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) in both groups of mothers, and mothers with PPD additionally completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Lips Maternal Self-Confidence Scale (LMSCS). Twelve regions of interest (ROIs), selected basing on previous literature, were analysed for GMV using a customized pipeline implemented in FSL. Cross-sectional analyses were carried out in Jamovi. ANCOVAs were run to compare the GMV of the three groups, partial correlation analyses to investigate the association between regional GMV and PBQ, EPDS and LMSCS scores. Age and scanner type were included as covariates in all analyses, EPDS scores when applicable. Findings were considered significant if they survived false discovery rate (FDR) correction.
Results:
ANCOVA analyses revealed significant differences among the three groups in the GMV of the bilateral amygdala (p < 0.001, η²p= 0.401), thalamus (p < 0.001, η²p = 0.314), globus pallidus (p < 0.001, η²p = 0.212), inferior frontal gyrus (p < 0.001, η²p = 0.372) and superior frontal gyrus (p < 0.001, η²p = 0.653). In particular, post-hoc Tukey HSD tests showed that healthy mothers displayed significantly lower GMV than healthy nulliparous women in the bilateral amygdala. Mothers with PPD, instead, presented significantly higher GMV than healthy mothers in the bilateral amygdala, thalamus, globus pallidus, inferior frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus, and higher GMV than healthy nulliparous women in the bilateral inferior and superior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, mothers with PPD presented significantly higher PBQ scores than healthy mothers (p < 0.001, η²p = 0.380). However, no significant correlations were found between regional GMV and PBQ scores in either of the two mother groups, nor with EPDS scores in PPD mothers. Notably, right insular GMV positively correlated with LMSCS scores ([I]r = 0.818, p = 0.002) in mothers with PPD.
·Fig. 1 3D view of significant regional GMV differences
·Fig. 2 Boxplots of the significant results
Conclusions:
In conclusion, our results suggest that the postpartum period is marked by significant neuroplasticity. While healthy motherhood seems to be associated with GMV reductions, mothers with PPD display an opposite pattern of GMV increases, especially in brain regions involved in the pleasure and reward networks. These findings provide insights into potential neuroanatomical biomarkers and protective factors of PPD, which could inform its early detection and treatment strategies.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 1
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Image Registration and Computational Anatomy
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
Anatomical MRI 2
Keywords:
ADULTS
Affective Disorders
Cortex
Data analysis
Plasticity
Psychiatric Disorders
Spatial Warping
STRUCTURAL MRI
Sub-Cortical
Other - Perinatal Mental Health
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
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Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Hoekzema, E. (2017). Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure. Nature neuroscience, 20(2), 287–296.
Martínez-García, M. (2021). Characterizing the Brain Structural Adaptations Across the Motherhood Transition. Frontiers in global women's health, 2, 742775.