Key result
Decreased functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and left medial prefrontal cortex in postpartum women correlated with poorer Clock-Drawing Test scores (r = 0.742, P < .001).
Why the study?
Cognitive dysfunction is associated with neurophysiological changes postpartum, but the intrinsic functional connectivity pattern within the default mode network and its link to cognitive dysfunction in postpartum women without depression remained unclear.
Does the postpartum period alter resting-state functional connectivity within the default mode network and correlate with cognitive dysfunction in women without depression?
Cross-Sectional (n=42)
No
Does the postpartum period alter resting-state functional connectivity within the default mode network and correlate with cognitive dysfunction in women without depression?
Postpartum women without depression exhibit decreased resting-state functional connectivity within the default mode network, which correlates with impaired executive cognitive function.
May link DMN connectivity to postpartum cognition; hypothesis-generating and requires larger prospective studies.
Previous studies have demonstrated that cognitive dysfunction is associated with neurophysiological changes in postpartum period. This study aimed to investigate the intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) pattern within the default mode network (DMN) and its associations with cognitive dysfunction in postpartum women without depression revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Resting-state fMRI scans were acquired from 21 postpartum women and 21 age- and education-matched nulliparous women. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was selected as the seed region to detect the FC patterns and then determine whether these changes were related to specific cognitive performance.Compared with the nulliparous women, postpartum women had a significantly decreased FC between the PCC and the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). After correcting for age and education, the reduced FC between the PCC and the left mPFC was positively correlated with the poorer Clock-Drawing Test (CDT) scores in postpartum women (r = 0.742, P < .001).The present study mainly demonstrated decreased resting-state FC pattern within the DMN regions that was linked with impaired cognitive function in postpartum women. These findings illustrated the potential role of the DMN in postpartum women that will provide novel insight into the underlying neuropathological mechanisms in postpartum period.
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Zheng et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitive function in postpartum women without depression (n=42). Postpartum state vs. Nulliparous state was evaluated on Correlation between reduced functional connectivity (PCC to left mPFC) and Clock-Drawing Test (CDT) scores (r = 0.742, p=<.001). Decreased functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and left medial prefrontal cortex in postpartum women correlated with poorer Clock-Drawing Test scores (r = 0.742, P < .001).
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