Prolonged HPA axis dysregulation in postpartum depression associated with adverse early life experiences: A cross-species translational study. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38736646/)

These scientists wanted to understand how stress during childhood and adolescence can affect mothers after they have a baby. They did a study using both mice and humans to see how stress during the teenage years can impact a mother's behavior after giving birth.

In the study, the scientists found that when female mice were isolated from their friends during their teenage years, they had higher levels of a stress hormone called glucocorticoid. This led to changes in their behavior after they had babies that were long-lasting and hard to treat with current methods. However, when the mice were given a medication that blocks the effects of glucocorticoid after giving birth, their behavior improved.

The scientists also looked at human mothers and found that those who experienced a lot of stress during childhood and adolescence had problems with their stress response system, called the HPA axis, after giving birth. This could lead to postpartum depression. The scientists suggested that using the same medication that helped the mice might also be helpful for some human mothers who have a hard time with postpartum depression.

Overall, the study showed that stress during teenage years can have a big impact on how mothers feel after having a baby, and that there might be new ways to help those who have a hard time with postpartum depression.

Niwa M., Lockhart S., Wood DJ., Yang K., Francis-Oliveira J., Kin K., Ahmed A., Wand GS., Kano SI., Payne JL., Sawa A. Prolonged HPA axis dysregulation in postpartum depression associated with adverse early life experiences: A cross-species translational study. Nat Ment Health. 2024 May;2(5):593-604. doi: 10.1038/s44220-024-00217-1. Epub 2024 Apr 11.