Center of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Arch Womens Ment Health. 2022 Feb;25(1):237-249. doi: 10.1007/s00737-021-01197-2. Epub 2022 Jan 6.
Depression in the perinatal period is common in mothers worldwide. Emerging research indicates that fathers are also at risk of developing perinatal depression. However, knowledge regarding biological risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms of perinatal depression is still scarce, particularly in fathers. It has been suggested that the neurotrophin BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression; however, there is currently no data regarding paternal perinatal depression. For this pilot study, 81 expecting parents were recruited and assessed at several time points. We screened for depression using EPDS and MADRS, investigated several psychosocial variables, and took blood samples for BDNF val66met genotyping, epigenetic, and protein analysis. Between pregnancy and 12 months postpartum (pp), we found that 3.7 to 15.7% of fathers screened positive for depression, and 9.6 to 24% of mothers, with at least a twofold increased prevalence in both parents using MADRS compared with EPDS. We also identified several psychosocial factors associated with perinatal depression in both parents. The data revealed a trend that lower BDNF levels correlated with maternal depressive symptoms at 3 months pp. In the fathers, no significant correlations between BDNF and perinatal depression were found. Pregnant women demonstrated lower BDNF methylation and BDNF protein expression compared with men; however, these were found to increase postpartum. Lastly, we identified correlations between depressive symptoms and psychosocial/neurobiological factors. The data suggest that BDNF may play a role in maternal perinatal depression, but not paternal.
围产期抑郁在全球母亲中很常见。新出现的研究表明,父亲也有患围产期抑郁症的风险。然而,关于围产期抑郁症的生物学风险因素和病理生理学机制的知识仍然很少,特别是在父亲中。有研究表明,神经营养因子 BDNF 可能在母亲围产期抑郁症中发挥作用;然而,目前尚无关于父亲围产期抑郁症的相关数据。在这项初步研究中,招募了 81 对即将成为父母的人,并在多个时间点进行评估。我们使用 EPDS 和 MADRS 筛查抑郁症,调查了一些心理社会变量,并采集了 BDNF val66met 基因分型、表观遗传和蛋白质分析的血样。在妊娠和产后 12 个月(pp)期间,我们发现 3.7%至 15.7%的父亲筛查出患有抑郁症,9.6%至 24%的母亲筛查出患有抑郁症,与 EPDS 相比,MADRS 使父母双方的患病率至少增加了两倍。我们还确定了与父母双方围产期抑郁症相关的几个心理社会因素。数据显示,BDNF 水平较低与产后 3 个月的母亲抑郁症状呈正相关。在父亲中,BDNF 与围产期抑郁症之间没有发现显著相关性。与男性相比,孕妇的 BDNF 甲基化和 BDNF 蛋白表达水平较低;然而,这些在产后会增加。最后,我们发现了抑郁症状与心理社会/神经生物学因素之间的相关性。数据表明,BDNF 可能在母亲围产期抑郁症中发挥作用,但在父亲中没有。
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