Pre- and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms associated with local connectivity of the left amygdala in 5-year-olds
: Vartiainen, Elena; Copeland, Anni; Pulli, Elmo P.; Kumpulainen, Venla; Silver, Eero; Rajasilta, Olli; Jolly, Ashmeet; Luotonen, Silja; Audah, Hilyatushalihah K.; Hashempour, Niloofar; Bano, Wajiha; Suuronen, Ilkka; Saukko, Ekaterina; Häkkinen, Suvi; Karlsson, Hasse; Karlsson, Linnea; Tuulari, Jetro J.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
: 2025
: European Psychiatry
: e130
: 68
: 1
: 0924-9338
: 1778-3585
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10097
: https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10097
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/500204147
Background. Maternal depressive symptoms can influence brain development in offspring, prenatally through intrauterine programming, and postnatally through caregiving related mother–child interaction.
Methods. The participants were 5-year-old mother–child dyads from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study (N = 68; 28 boys, 40 girls). Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at gestational week 24, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months postnatal. Children’s brain imaging data were acquired with task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at the age of 5 years in 7-min scans while watching the Inscapes movie. The derived brain metrics included whole-brain regional homogeneity (ReHo) and seed-based connectivity maps of the bilateral amygdalae.
Results. We found that maternal depressive symptoms were positively associated with ReHo values of the left amygdala. The association was highly localized and strongest with the maternal depressive symptoms at 3 months postnatal. Seed-based connectivity analysis did not reveal associations between distal connectivity of the left amygdala region and maternal depressive symptoms.
Conclusions. These results suggest that maternal depressive symptoms soon after birth may influence offspring’s neurodevelopment in the local functional coherence in the left amygdala. They underline the potential relevance of postnatal maternal distress exposure on neurodevelopment that has received much less attention than prenatal exposures. These results offer a possible thus far understudied pathway of intergenerational effects of perinatal depression that should be further explored in future studies.
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Elmo P. Pulli: Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland (no. 352648 and subproject no. 352655), Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finnish Brain Foundation, Turku University Foundation, and Finnish Cultural Foundation. Jetro J. Tuulari: Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Finnish Medical Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation, Turku University Foundation, Hospital District of Southwest Finland, State Grants for Clinical Research (ERVA), Orion Research Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation. Silja Luotonen: The Finnish Cultural Foundation/Varsinais-Suomi Regional Fund. Ilkka Suuronen: Emil Aaltonen Foundation. Hilyatushalihah K. Audah: Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, University of Turku Graduate School. Niloofar Hashempour: University of Turku Graduate School. Anni Copeland: Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Turku University Foundation. Linnea Karlsson: Research Council of Finland (nos. 308589 and 308589), Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland (no. 352648 and subproject no. 352655), Signe and Ane Gyllenberg’s Foundation, Finnish State Grants for Clinical Research. Hasse Karlsson: FinnBrain Birth Cohort study was financially supported by Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation and Echnerska Frilasarettet Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, and State Research grant.
