Summary: New research suggests that a higher risk of postpartum depression may be a result of increased brain activity in the brain during childbirth. A study comparing pregnant women and non-pregnant people found that those who had higher brain levels experienced greater emotional regulation and had more severe depression symptoms.
This finding might help to identify at-risk mothers and provide targeted emotional regulation education for at-risk parents. While primary, the results offer potential for new strategies to prevent postpartum depression.
Important Facts:
- High brain activity in female women is associated with depression symptoms.
- Pregnant women may have more trouble actively regulating their negative feelings.
- Future therapies might concentrate on improving emotional rules while pregnant.
Source: Western College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Around 80 % of people suffer from “baby blues” after the birth of their child. This is typically a brief period of downhaul that vanishes in a few days. However, one in seven women experience postpartum depression, which is more severe and has long-term effects on how parents relate to their children. These people appear to be unable to control the negative emotions that may arise after giving birth.
A group of German researchers have discovered that in good pregnant women, exercise in a particular area of the brain is related to the rules of negative emotions and the tendency to exhibit depressive symptoms.  ,
The scientists hope that checking for this exercise, along with how feelings are regulated, may indicate which ladies are at risk for postpartum depression.
Presenting the work at the ECNP Congress in Milan, presenter Ms Franziska , Weinmar ( University , of , Tübingen, Germany ) said:
” This is one of the first studies to examine mental activity in female and non-pregnant people. Mental wellness requires the ability to control emotions, so this interaction was our starting point.
The researchers examined 15 healthier pregnant women who had very large testosterone levels as a result of the pregnancy. The people who were female were 5 to 6 weeks into their second pregnancy. These people were compared with 32 non-pregnant ladies, who had obviously fluctuating estrogen levels, as occurs during the menstrual period.
Each girl was put in an MRI sensor and shown upsetting/disturbing photos. The person therefore used mental reappraisal, a method where they try to alter their mental state by altering their thoughts and trying to redefine the situation, to manage their mental state.  ,
Franziska , Weinmar added:
We questioned all the people in the study about how they handled negative thoughts, and we discovered that, in contrast to the non-pregnant girls, they rarely tried to change their personal view through mental reappraisal.
They were just as effective at managing their emotions as the non-pregnant ladies were at regulating their emotions during an MRI scan, though.
Both female and non-pregnant women can manage emotions by purposefully reinterpreting a situation, but for the pregnant women it seems more difficult to do so deliberately, despite the fact that they perhaps deal with them in different ways.
We found that pregnant girls who displayed more action in the brain while regulating their thoughts had less success in controlling their feelings in the MRI scans. In addition, infertile women with this greater engagement in the brain reported more symptoms of depression”.  ,
Franziska , Weinmar continued:  ”, We need to remain cautious in interpreting this – this is a little specimen, and we are the first to conduct this work.
” Nevertheless, if larger studies reveal that people at risk of postpartum depression have higher brain activity, we could assess and specifically target these people during this vulnerable stage, such as by teaching them how to regulate emotions.”  , This may be one method to cope with the child music”.
Commenting, Dr Susana Carmona ( Gregorio Marañón Hospital, Madrid ) said
” Studies like this are crucial for comprehending one of the most severe physiological processes a man can experience: birth.” How much we still know is amazing. Lately, the FDA approved the primary care for postpartum depression.
Yet, we still have a long way to go in terms of studying the head during childbirth, identifying biomarkers that may indicate the prevalence of perinatal mental disorders, and developing strategies to reduce mother and child enduring during the sensitive and crucial peripartum period.
This is an independent opinion, Dr Carmona was never involved in this job.
About this information about science research and postpartum depression
Publisher: Tom Parkhill
Source: European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Contact: Tom Parkhill – European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will be presented at 37th ECNP Congress
