(Press-News.org) COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study in animals shows that chronic stress during pregnancy prevents brain benefits of motherhood, a finding that researchers suggest could increase understanding of postpartum depression.
Rat mothers showed an increase in brain cell connections in regions associated with learning, memory and mood. In contrast, the brains of mother rats that were stressed twice a day throughout pregnancy did not show this increase.
The researchers were specifically interested in dendritic spines – hair-like growths on brain cells that are used to exchange information with other neurons.
Previous animal studies conducted by lead author Benedetta Leuner of Ohio State University showed that an increase of dendritic spines in new mothers' brains was associated with improved cognitive function on a task that requires behavioral flexibility – in essence, enabling more effective multitasking. The dendritic spines increased by about 20 percent in these brain regions in new mothers, according to her findings.
The stress in this new study negated those brain benefits of motherhood, causing the stressed rats' brains to match brain characteristics of animals that had no reproductive or maternal experience.
The stressed rats also had less physical interaction with their babies than did unstressed rats, a behavior observed in human mothers who experience postpartum depression.
"Animal mothers in our research that are unstressed show an increase in the number of connections between neurons. Stressed mothers don't," said Leuner, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Ohio State. "We think that makes the stressed mothers more vulnerable. They don't have the capacity for brain plasticity that the unstressed mothers do, and somehow that's contributing to their susceptibility to depression."
Leuner described the research during a talk Saturday (10/13) in New Orleans at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
Previous research has suggested that there are a number of risk factors for postpartum depression, including hormone fluctuations, prior history of mental illness and environmental factors such as smoking or low socioeconomic status. One of the strongest predictors, however, is chronic stress during pregnancy, so Leuner sought to create an animal model that could help explain brain changes linked to postpartum depression.
"It's devastating not only for the mother, because it affects her well-being, but previous research also has shown that children of depressed mothers have impaired cognitive and social development, may have impaired physical development, and are more likely as adults to have depression or anxiety," she said. "A better understanding of postpartum depression is important to help the mother but also to prevent some of the damaging effects that this disorder can have on the child."
The researchers exposed pregnant rats to stress twice a day by limiting their mobility on some days and on other days placing them in water. For three weeks after the rats gave birth, Leuner and colleagues monitored the rats.
The animals showed classic signs of the effects of stress, including lower than normal weight gain and enlarged adrenal glands, a sign of high stress-hormone production. The mothers stressed during pregnancy also gave birth to smaller pups.
"And they were not very good mothers," Leuner said. After separation from pups for 30 minutes, unstressed mothers would gather up their babies, put them in the nest and nurse them. Stressed mother rats left the pups scattered around, wandered around the cage and fed the babies less frequently. The stressed mother rats also exhibited more floating than unstressed rats in a water test; animals that float rather than swim are showing depressive-like symptoms.
"These findings in rats mimic some of the symptoms that are seen in women with postpartum depression," Leuner said.
An examination of the animals' brains showed that the rats exposed to chronic stress did not grow the additional dendritic spines in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex that the unstressed mother rats did. The stressed rats' brains more closely resembled the brains of control rats that had never been mothers.
"We don't yet know what the exact trigger is for the increase in spines in motherhood, but we know that the increase goes away with stress," Leuner said.
She is continuing the work by investigating whether the beneficial effects of motherhood on cognitive functions are also blocked in mothers who are exposed to pregnancy stress as well as whether hormonal factors play a role.
### This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and a Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Award. Leuner co-authored the presentation with Peter Fredericks of Ohio State's Department of Psychology.
Contact: Benedetta Leuner, (614) 292-5218; Leuner.1@osu.edu
Written by Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; Caldwell.151@osu.edu
(Leuner will be at Neuroscience 2012 from Oct. 13-16; before and during that time, contact Leuner via email or by calling Emily Caldwell at (614) 893-4261.)
Editor's note: Leuner will present her talk (No. 12.12) during a nanosymposium titled "Mood Disorders: Animal Models of Stress and Depression" from 1-4:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday (10/13) in room 288 of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Chronic stress during pregnancy prevents brain benefits of motherhood, study shows
2012-10-14
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Johns Hopkins researchers at Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
2012-10-14
Oct. 13-17, 2012
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Boulevard, New Orleans, La. 70130
IN ANIMALS, DRUG PREVENTS NERVE DAMAGE CAUSED BY CHEMOTHERAPY, HIV AND DIABETES
Poster#: 354.19/T6, Hall F-J, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, 9-10 a.m. CST
Authors: J. Zhu, W. Chen, C. Zhou, N. Reed, A. Hoke
AND
Poster#: 354.29/T16, Hall F-J, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST
Authors: M. Ray, N. Reed, J. Zhu, A. Hoke
Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a drug that seems to protect mice and rats from nerve degeneration caused by chemotherapy drugs, ...
MyWallDeco.com offers Up To 75% Discounts On Original Hand Painted Canvas Art
2012-10-14
Many people love to have their walls adorned with beautiful canvas art. Though they would like to have a good collection of canvas art, the cost of these real canvas art can be highly prohibitive. Therefore, people remain content with enjoying exquisite collection of art at exhibitions and at art galleries. Some art lovers try to look for alternative options to get some good wall art on walls. Many go for what is called canvas prints. Canvas prints are not real paintings, but prints made on canvas art material, which tries to give the feel of the real wall art. However, ...
Booking Agency Skyline Music Expands
2012-10-14
Live music booking agency Skyline Music is expanding with five key staff additions and promotions:
Matt Sanchez joins as Skyline Music's 7th agent focusing on the agency's growing alternative roster.
Crandall Rogers joins Skyline Music's Andrea Sabata in the company's Performing Arts booking division as Arts Touring Coordinator.
Hisham Dahud joins to head Skyline Digital which includes Skyline-owned digital properties Hypebot.com and MusicThinkTank.com as well as digital initiatives on behalf of the Skyline Music roster.
Bailey Rogers joins as Director of Social ...
Silent Partner Technologies And Confidex Use RFID Asset Management To Help Seminole County, Florida
2012-10-14
Silent Partner Technologies (SPT) has been a leader in RFID asset management for years, helping businesses simplify their inventory process. Confidex produces the RFID tags which have made an appearance in countless industrial and technological companies.
Recently, these two innovators of technology teamed up to help Seminole County in Florida find a more resourceful way to keep up with their inventory. For the local government of Seminole County, as with so many others, RFID asset management was the solution.
RFID, or Radio Frequency IDentification, is similar ...
Dealing With Abusive Debt Collectors
2012-10-14
Dealing With Abusive Debt Collectors
If you are behind and struggling to pay your bills and debt collectors are calling, you have plenty of company. Almost 15 percent of Americans are now being called by debt collectors.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices to collect from you. This federal law covers collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts on a regular basis, and companies that buy delinquent debts. The FDCPA covers personal, family, and household debts, including credit ...
Getting a Mortgage After Bankruptcy
2012-10-14
Getting a Mortgage After Bankruptcy
While bankruptcy may negatively impact your ability to obtain a mortgage, it is possible to qualify for a mortgage after filing for bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy, which is listed in the public record information section of a credit report, remains for seven years from the filing date of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, or ten years from the filing date of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
If you can wait that long to obtain a mortgage, your credit report not mention your bankruptcy. If you cannot wait for your bankruptcy to disappear from your credit ...
Food Expert Lara Holland Helping Commercial Kitchens Nationwide Add New Allergen-Friendly Entrees to Menus
2012-10-14
There are an estimated 12 million Americans who suffer from food allergies and if and Food Expert Lara Holland has her way, she'll be helping every single one of them.
Holland is a food expert who trains professionals on how to manage food allergen and gluten free environments in commercial kitchens. She is certified to teach the program through Kitchens with Confidence, which is approved by the American Culinary Federation. Those who take her classes gain ACF credits while nutritionists gain similar credits from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Her presentations ...
Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Local Merchants Host Community Jack-O'-Lantern Contest
2012-10-14
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), along with local merchants, invites the public to participate in the Community Jack-O'-Lantern Contest held from October 26-27, 2012 at the ATC Visitor Center, located at 799 Washington Street, Harpers Ferry, WV. This event is free and open to the public.
Local community members are encouraged to carve a pumpkin at home and bring it to the ATC Visitor Center on Friday, October 26, 2012 from 9:00a.m. - 7:00p.m. or on Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 9:00a.m. - 12:00p.m. All entries must be submitted by noon the day of the event ...
Systech Illinois' Online Dedicated Process Gas Analysis Products Are Available in Seven Different Languages
2012-10-14
Systech Illinois are a leading provider of oxygen, moisture and gas analysers and are well known on the world stage in the gas instrumentation market.
Systech Illinois place great emphasis on providing excellent customer service globally. This is demonstrated by the fact that their main website, which was initially created in English and Chinese, has been translated into five more languages; French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian. These additional translations ensure that a wide range of visitors can clearly and easily identify the gas analysis intruments that ...
LYNX Technik Showcases bluBox Signal Processing Series at CCW 2012
2012-10-14
LYNX Technik AG, provider of modular interfaces will showcase its new bluBox signal processing series at CCW 2012, booth 1164.
bluBox was originally launched at NAB 2012, and is a new application specific product line that leverages signal processing technology from the popular Series 5000 terminal equipment line. bluBox solutions are packaged self-contained systems, providing cost-effective product configurations for fixed applications. bluBox products are 1RU rack mountable boxes which feature integrated control panels plus full remote control via the established LYNX ...