Şipoş Roxana, Calugar Iulia, Predescu Elena
Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Pediatric Psychiatry, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Calea Manastur Street No. 54C, 400658 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, 37 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Children (Basel). 2025 Mar 21;12(4):396. doi: 10.3390/children12040396.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Postpartum depression (PPD) significantly impacts maternal well-being and child neurodevelopment. While the etiology of PPD is well understood, the precise neurodevelopmental consequences, particularly differentiating prenatal and postnatal effects, remain unclear. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on the neurophysiological effects of maternal PPD on infant neurodevelopment, focusing on electroencephalography (EEG) biomarkers to identify consistent patterns and potential mediating factors.
A comprehensive literature search across PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus identified studies investigating infants (0-12 months) exposed to maternal depressive symptoms (assessed via validated psychometric instruments) with quantitative EEG data. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven investigated EEG asymmetry, predominantly frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). The findings consistently showed greater right FAA in the infants of mothers with PPD, suggesting increased negative affectivity and avoidance behaviors. This association was stronger with prolonged or combined prenatal/postnatal exposure. However, EEG power and connectivity findings were less consistent, with some studies reporting altered occipital power at 1 month and frontal power at 3 months in the infants of depressed mothers. No significant associations were found between maternal depression and functional connectivity.
This review demonstrates a robust association between maternal PPD and altered infant EEG patterns, particularly increased right FAA. However, methodological heterogeneity necessitates future research with standardized protocols and longitudinal designs to establish causality and investigate long-term effects. Further research should also explore the underlying neural mechanisms and evaluate the efficacy of targeted interventions. These findings underscore the need for early identification and intervention to mitigate the negative impact of PPD on infant neurodevelopment.
背景/目的：产后抑郁症（PPD）对母亲的幸福感和儿童神经发育有显著影响。虽然PPD的病因已为人熟知，但确切的神经发育后果，尤其是区分产前和产后的影响，仍不明确。本系统综述旨在综合现有关于母亲PPD对婴儿神经发育的神经生理学影响的文献，重点关注脑电图（EEG）生物标志物，以识别一致的模式和潜在的中介因素。
通过对PubMed/MEDLINE、科学网和Scopus进行全面的文献检索，确定了调查暴露于母亲抑郁症状（通过经过验证的心理测量工具评估）的婴儿（0至12个月）并具有定量EEG数据的研究。使用纽卡斯尔-渥太华量表评估研究质量。
12项研究符合纳入标准。11项研究调查了EEG不对称性，主要是额叶α不对称性（FAA）。研究结果一致显示，PPD母亲的婴儿右侧FAA更大，表明消极情感性和回避行为增加。这种关联在产前/产后长期或联合暴露时更强。然而，EEG功率和连通性的研究结果不太一致，一些研究报告称，抑郁母亲的婴儿在1个月时枕叶功率改变，在3个月时额叶功率改变。未发现母亲抑郁与功能连通性之间存在显著关联。
本综述表明母亲PPD与婴儿EEG模式改变之间存在密切关联，尤其是右侧FAA增加。然而，方法学上的异质性使得未来需要采用标准化方案和纵向设计进行研究，以确定因果关系并调查长期影响。进一步的研究还应探索潜在的神经机制，并评估针对性干预措施的效果。这些发现强调了早期识别和干预的必要性，以减轻PPD对婴儿神经发育的负面影响。
