Neurophysiological mechanisms in Women at risk for postpartum depression responding to baby emotional sounds

Motivation: Postpartum depression has the most direct impact on early baby development. Goal(s): The present study investigated the neurophysiological mechanisms of postpartum depressed women in response to different baby sound stimuli. Approach: Task related functional magnetic resonance imaging data as well as structural data were collected and analyzed from 16 women at risk for postpartum depression, and subjects were exposed to baby emotional sounds, as well as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: The preliminary findings of this study indicate that increased activation in brain regions such as the superior temporal gyrus in response to baby sounds in women at risk for postpartum depression. Impact: This may help to explain the neurophysiological mechanisms of emotional processing in women with postpartum depression and provide a new theoretical basis for enhanced care of newborn babies.