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 Researchers asked 101 women to complete questionnaires about
depression and anxiety symptoms during their third trimester of
pregnancy. Overall, six mothers had symptoms of major depressive
disorder, five met criteria for moderate depression, and 42 met
criteria for mild depression.
Then, researchers took MRIs of infants' brains when they were about
one month old. They found more alterations in brain structure among
the babies born to women who experienced at least moderate levels of
depression during pregnancy.
"Our study suggests that moderate levels of maternal depression and
anxiety symptoms during pregnancy were associated with variations in
the brain's white matter microstructure or 'wiring' at one month of
age," said lead study author Douglas Dean III of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
The patterns were different in boys and girls, "which may be related
to boys and girls having different developmental trajectories and
being differentially impacted by certain early life experiences,"
Dean said by email.
Up to one in five pregnant women experience depression and anxiety,
and mounting evidence links these conditions with poorer emotional
and behavioral outcomes in children, researchers note in JAMA
Pediatrics.
That's true even when mothers' symptoms aren't severe, they say.
In the current study, researchers found maternal depression and
anxiety linked to changes in what's known as white matter
microstructure in the brain, which is involved in communication
between different regions of the brain.
Untreated depression during pregnancy is associated with underweight
babies who are more likely to need intensive care after birth.
Pregnant women with uncontrolled depression may not eat well or keep
up with prenatal visits, and in the most severe cases, they may be
at increased risk for suicide.
The study can't prove whether or how anxiety or depression during
pregnancy might directly influence infants' brain development or
emotional or behavioral development.
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It's also not clear whether changes seen on brain scans during
infancy would persist as children aged or whether any treatment
mothers get for depression or anxiety might impact babies' brain
development.
Still, the results underscore the importance of focusing on both
physical and mental health during pregnancy, said David Bridgett, a
psychology researcher at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb who
wasn't involved in the study.
"For some, psychotherapy or counseling can be highly effective in
the treatment of depression and anxiety, which may help to mitigate
any risk to the developing infant," Bridgett said by email. "Therapy
and behavioral treatments for depression and anxiety can be just as
effective as medication."
Like many drugs, antidepressants fall into a gray area during
pregnancy, with insufficient evidence to definitively prove the
harms or benefits. Often, doctors may reserve drugs for women with
more severe depression.
"While there is data suggesting that some medications for depression
and anxiety may be relatively safe for pregnant women to take, there
also is research suggesting that such medications may have effects
on child development," Bridgett added.
The current study provides fresh evidence that mood disorders do
need to be addressed during pregnancy, said Erika Forbes, a
researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who wasn't involved in
the study.
"Changes in brain development don't necessarily lead to long-term
impairments in cognition, behavior, or emotion," Forbes said by
email.
"They might not be meaningful, and they're just one factor," Forbes
added. "But they could make some children more vulnerable to serious
problems."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2PboV1x JAMA Pediatrics, online August 27,
2018
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