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Newborn white matter microstructure moderates the association between maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and infant negative reactivity.

Authors :
Nolvi S
Tuulari JJ
Lavonius T
Scheinin NM
Lehtola SJ
Lavonius M
Merisaari H
Saunavaara J
Korja R
Kataja EL
Pelto J
Parkkola R
Karlsson L
Karlsson H
Source :
Social cognitive and affective neuroscience [Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci] 2020 Jul 30; Vol. 15 (6), pp. 649-660.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Maternal postpartum depression is a prominent risk factor for aberrant child socioemotional development, but there is little understanding about the neural phenotypes that underlie infant sensitivity to maternal depression. We examined whether newborn white matter fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of white matter maturity, moderates the association between maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and infant negative reactivity at 6 months. Participants were 80 mother-infant dyads participating in a prospective population-based cohort, and included families whose newborns underwent a magnetic resonance/diffusion tensor imaging scan at 2-5 weeks of age and whose mothers reported their own depressive symptoms at 3 and 6 months postpartum and infant negative emotional reactivity at 6 months. The whole-brain FA moderated the association between maternal depressive symptoms and mother-reported infant negative reactivity at 6 months after adjusting for the covariates. Maternal depressive symptoms were positively related to infant negative reactivity among infants with high or average FA in the whole brain and in corpus callosum and cingulum, but not among those with low FA. The link between maternal depressive symptoms and infant negative reactivity was moderated by newborn FA. The variation in white matter microstructure might play a role in child susceptibility to parental distress.<br /> (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1749-5024
Volume :
15
Issue :
6
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Social cognitive and affective neuroscience
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32577747
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsaa081