Grant: Operating Grant - PA: INMHA (bridge funding)

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by severe depression, feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness which is experienced by 10 to 15% of postpartum women. Moreover, women with previous episodes of PPD have more than a 25% chance of presenting with a recurrent PPD episode after a future child birth. In addition to the feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness experienced by women with PPD, PPD impacts the baby and the mother/infant relationship. For example, women with PPD are more likely to terminate breastfeeding early, and recent studies have suggested a potential increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome in infants of mothers with PPD. Recent progress in neuroimaging, particularly in vivo 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), makes it possible to directly measure the levels of glutamate and GABA and other neurochemicals in the brain. This study will provide the first MRS data relevant to development of postpartum depressive symptoms. The results of this study may have major clinical implications that extend beyond the field of PPD. Expanding our knowledge of the neurochemical changes associated with PPD is critical to ensuring the development of prophylactic antidepressant treatments for those identified as exhibiting brain biological dysregulations known to precede the onset of PPD symptoms.