Effect of parental depressive symptoms on offspring's brain structure and function: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies
Recommended Citation
Cattarinussi G, Aarabi MH, Moghaddam HS, Homayoun M, Ashrafi M, Soltanian-Zadeh H, and Sambataro F. Effect of parental depressive symptoms on offspring's brain structure and function: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-27-2021
Publication Title
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
Abstract
Perinatal Depression (PND) is a severe mental disorder that appears during pregnancy or in the post-partum. Although PND has been associated with behavioral problems in the offspring, its effects on brain development are unclear. With this review we aimed at summarizing the existing literature on the effects of perinatal depressive symptoms on children's brains. A search on PubMed and Embase of structural, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) studies exploring the effect of PND on offspring's brain was conducted. We selected twenty-six studies, ten structural MRI, five DTI, six fMRI and five with combined techniques. Overall, the studies showed: a) gray matter alterations in amygdala and fronto-temporal lobes; b) microstructural alterations in amygdala, frontal lobe, cingulum, longitudinal fasciculus and fornix; and c) functional alterations between limbic and mesocortical networks. The small sample size and the heterogeneity in populations and methodologies limit this review. In conclusion, PND seems to influence structure and function of offspring, that may contribute to the risk of behavioral disturbances later in life.
PubMed ID
34592256
ePublication
ePub ahead of print
Volume
131
First Page
451
Last Page
465
