The effects of gestational stress and SSRI antidepressant treatment on structural plasticity in the postpartum brain - a translational model for postpartum depression.

The effects of gestational stress and SSRI antidepressant treatment on structural plasticity in the postpartum brain - a translational model for postpartum depression. Horm Behav. 2015 May 18; Authors: Haim A, Albin-Brooks C, Sherer M, Mills E, Leuner B Abstract Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common complication following childbirth experienced by one in every five new mothers. Although the neural basis of PPD remains unknown previous research in rats has shown that gestational stress, a risk factor for PPD, induces depressive-like behavior during the postpartum period. Moreover, the effect of gestational stress on postpartum mood is accompanied by structural modifications within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) - limbic regions that have been linked to PPD. Mothers diagnosed with PPD are often prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant medications and yet little is known about their effects in models of PPD. Thus, here we investigated whether postpartum administration of Citalopram, an SSRI commonly used to treat PPD, would ameliorate the behavioral and morphological consequences of gestational stress. In addition, we examined the effects of gestational stress and postpartum administration of Citalopram on structural plasticity within the basolateral amygdala (BLA) which together with the mPFC and NAc forms a circuit that is sensitive to stress and is involved in mood...
Source: Hormones and Behavior - Category: Endocrinology Authors: Tags: Horm Behav Source Type: research