Neurophysiological Features in Women with Antenatal Depressive Symptoms: A Resting-State Quantitative Electroencephalography Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Antenatal depression, which is prevalent during pregnancy, frequently continues into the postpartum period. OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential neurophysiological brain changes in women exhibiting antenatal depressive symptoms by using resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) patterns as an objective indicator. METHODS Pregnant women with high-risk conditions were included in this study and evaluated for antenatal depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). They were divided into groups based on an EPDS score of 10. Resting-state qEEG recordings were obtained to assess relative power topography within classical frequency bands, comparing these measures across the two groups and examining their correlation with the EPDS scores. RESULTS Among 36 participants, 12 scored ≥ 10 on the EPDS, indicative of significant depressive symptoms, while 24 scored < 10. Those with scores ≥ 10 exhibited heightened beta power in the frontal areas (Fz, p = 0.049, F4, p = 0.029), along with significant alpha and theta band asymmetry at the T3/T4 (r = 0.383, p = 0.021) and P3/P4 (r = 0.369, p = 0.027) sites respectively, positively correlating with EPDS scores. CONCLUSIONS The distinct qEEG patterns observed in women with EPDS scores ≥ 10 highlight the potential of qEEG as an objective indicator for assessing antenatal depression.