Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK.
Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Transl Psychiatry. 2022 Aug 9;12(1):323. doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-02073-y.
Maternal prenatal depression is associated with increased likelihood of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions in offspring. The relationship between maternal depression and offspring outcome may be mediated by in-utero changes in brain development. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have enabled in vivo investigations of neonatal brains, minimising the effect of postnatal influences. The aim of this study was to examine associations between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms, infant white matter, and toddler behaviour. 413 mother-infant dyads enrolled in the developing Human Connectome Project. Mothers completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (median = 5, range = 0-28, n = 52 scores ≥ 11). Infants (n = 223 male) (median gestational age at birth = 40 weeks, range 32.14-42.29) underwent MRI (median postmenstrual age at scan = 41.29 weeks, range 36.57-44.71). Fixel-based fibre metrics (mean fibre density, fibre cross-section, and fibre density modulated by cross-section) were calculated from diffusion imaging data in the left and right uncinate fasciculi and cingulum bundle. For n = 311, internalising and externalising behaviour, and social-emotional abilities were reported at a median corrected age of 18 months (range 17-24). Statistical analysis used multiple linear regression and mediation analysis with bootstrapping. Maternal depressive symptoms were positively associated with infant fibre density in the left (B = 0.0005, p = 0.003, q = 0.027) and right (B = 0.0006, p = 0.003, q = 0.027) uncinate fasciculus, with left uncinate fasciculus fibre density, in turn, positively associated with social-emotional abilities in toddlerhood (B = 105.70, p = 0.0007, q = 0.004). In a mediation analysis, higher maternal depressive symptoms predicted toddler social-emotional difficulties (B = 0.342, t(307) = 3.003, p = 0.003), but this relationship was not mediated by fibre density in the left uncinate fasciculus (Sobel test p = 0.143, bootstrapped indirect effect = 0.035, SE = 0.02, 95% CI: [-0.01, 0.08]). There was no evidence of an association between maternal depressive and cingulum fibre properties. These findings suggest that maternal perinatal depressive symptoms are associated with neonatal uncinate fasciculi microstructure, but not fibre bundle size, and toddler behaviour.
孕妇产前抑郁与后代神经发育和精神疾病的可能性增加有关。母亲抑郁和后代结果之间的关系可能通过宫内大脑发育的变化来介导。磁共振成像 (MRI) 的最新进展使人们能够对新生儿的大脑进行活体研究，从而最大限度地减少了产后影响。本研究旨在探讨孕妇产前抑郁症状、婴儿白质与幼儿行为之间的关联。413 对母婴二人组参加了正在进行的人类连接组计划。母亲们完成了爱丁堡产后抑郁量表（中位数= 5，范围= 0-28，n= 52 分≥11）。婴儿（n= 223 名男性）（中位出生胎龄= 40 周，范围 32.14-42.29）接受了 MRI（中位孕期年龄为扫描时= 41.29 周，范围 36.57-44.71）。从扩散成像数据中计算了左侧和右侧钩束和扣带束的纤维特征（平均纤维密度、纤维横截面和纤维密度调制的横截面）。在中位数校正年龄为 18 个月（范围 17-24）时，n= 311 报告了内部和外部行为以及社会情感能力。使用多元线性回归和带有自举的中介分析进行统计分析。孕妇抑郁症状与左侧（B=0.0005，p=0.003，q=0.027）和右侧（B=0.0006，p=0.003，q=0.027）钩束中的婴儿纤维密度呈正相关，左侧钩束纤维密度又与幼儿期的社会情感能力呈正相关（B=105.70，p=0.0007，q=0.004）。在中介分析中，较高的孕妇抑郁症状预测了幼儿的社会情感困难（B=0.342，t（307）=3.003，p=0.003），但这与左侧钩束的纤维密度无关（Sobel 检验 p=0.143，自举间接效应=0.035，SE=0.02，95%CI：[-0.01，0.08]）。没有证据表明孕妇抑郁与扣带束纤维特性之间存在关联。这些发现表明，孕妇围产期抑郁症状与新生儿钩束的微观结构有关，但与纤维束大小和幼儿行为无关。
