Examining early structural and functional brain alterations in postpartum depression through multimodal neuroimaging

Scientific Reports, vol. 11, pp. 13551

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 1 in 10 women after childbirth. A thorough understanding of a preexisting vulnerability to PPD will likely aid the early detection and treatment of PPD. Using a within-sample association, the study examined whether the brain's structural and functional alterations predict the onset of depression. 157 euthymic postpartum women were subjected to a multimodal MRI scan within the first 6 days of childbirth and were followed up for 12 weeks. Based on a clinical interview 12 weeks postpartum, participants were classified as mentally healthy or having either PPD or adjustment disorder (AD). Voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity comparisons were performed between the three groups. 13.4% of women in our study developed PPD (n = 21) and 12.1% (n = 19) adjustment disorder (AD). The risk factors for PPD were a psychiatric history and the experience and severity of baby blues and the history of premenstrual syndrome. Despite the different risk profiles, no differences between the PPD, AD and control group were apparent based on structural and functional neuroimaging data immediately after childbirth. At 12 weeks postpartum, a significant association was observed between Integrated Local Correlation (LCor) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS). Our findings do not support the notion that the brain's structural and resting-state functional alterations, if present, can be used as an early biomarker of PPD or AD. However, effects may become apparent if continuous measures of symptom severity are chosen.

Authors 7

1. Patricia Schnakenberg corresponding Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Medical Faculty

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. pschnakenber@ukaachen.de

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany. pschnakenber@ukaachen.de

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany. pschnakenber@ukaachen.de

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

2. Susanne Stickel Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Medical Faculty

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

3. Elmar Stickeler Aachen Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics Medical Faculty

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

4. Ute Habel Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Medical Faculty

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

5. Simon Bodo Eickhoff

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

   Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

6. Natalia Chechko Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Medical Faculty

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM-10), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

7. Juergen Dukart

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

   Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany