Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Depression affects twice as many females than males. Notably, it is during periods of hormonal shifts that females experience a heightened risk for depression. One such time is the postpartum period which occurs after giving birth. In Canada alone, approximately 23% of mothers who give birth develop postpartum depression (PPD) and the risk of PPD increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. During pregnancy and in the postpartum the brain and body undergoes massive changes that play a role in creating the perfect storm for depression onset. People that are depressed often have a smaller brain region known as the hippocampus. In the postpartum, we see marked decreases in neuroplasticity (the brains ability to form and make new connections) and increases in inflammation in the hippocampus. Further, antidepressant treatments that target certain neurochemistiry (the serotonergic system: Selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors (SSRIs)) can be beneficial in improving depression symptoms. However, these benefits are rarely seen in PPD. Additionally, children of mothers with PPD show an increased risk of mental illness themselves. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop better therapies to treat PPD to benefit both mother and child. Current research has outlined increased inflammation is a potential culprit for the decreased efficacy of antidepressants such as SSRIs in the postpartum. To determine the involvement of inflammation in SSRI efficacy in PPD, we administered a drug that reduces the effects of inflammation along with SSRI treatment in a rodent model of PPD. To measure efficacy we will measure depressive-like behaviours, and associated brain changes (inflammation and neuroplasticity). This project will study one possible reason why we see decreased antidepressant efficacy in PPD and may promote new types of treatment for PPD. Very few studies examine the influence of PPD and this study aims to bridge this gap.