Subcortical brain volumes in young infants exposed to antenatal maternal depression: Findings from a South African birth cohort

Nynke A. Groenewold; Catherine J. Wedderburn; Jennifer A. Pellowski; Jean-Paul Fouché; Liza Michalak; Annerine Roos; Roger P. Woods; Katherine L. Narr; Heather J. Zar; Kirsten A. Donald; Dan J. Stein

NeuroImage: Clinical (Jan 2022)

Subcortical brain volumes in young infants exposed to antenatal maternal depression: Findings from a South African birth cohort

Nynke A. Groenewold,
Catherine J. Wedderburn,
Jennifer A. Pellowski,
Jean-Paul Fouché,
Liza Michalak,
Annerine Roos,
Roger P. Woods,
Katherine L. Narr,
Heather J. Zar,
Kirsten A. Donald,
Dan J. Stein

Affiliations

Nynke A. Groenewold: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council (SA-MRC) Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; The Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Corresponding author at: UCT Neuroscience Centre, E-Floor, Room 34, Groote Schuur Hospital, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Catherine J. Wedderburn: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; The Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Jennifer A. Pellowski: Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences and International Health Institute, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA; Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Jean-Paul Fouché: Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; The Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Liza Michalak: Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Annerine Roos: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; The Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; SA-MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Roger P. Woods: Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
Katherine L. Narr: Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
Heather J. Zar: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; South African Medical Research Council (SA-MRC) Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Kirsten A. Donald: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; The Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Dan J. Stein: Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; The Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; SA-MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 36
p. 103206

Abstract

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Background: Several studies have reported enlarged amygdala and smaller hippocampus volumes in children and adolescents exposed to maternal depression. It is unclear whether similar volumetric differences are detectable in the infants’ first weeks of life, following exposure in utero. We investigated subcortical volumes in 2-to-6 week old infants exposed to antenatal maternal depression (AMD) from a South African birth cohort. Methods: AMD was measured with the Beck Depression Inventory 2nd edition (BDI-II) at 28–32 weeks gestation. T2-weighted structural images were acquired during natural sleep on a 3T Siemens Allegra scanner. Subcortical regions were segmented based on the University of North Carolina neonatal brain atlas. Volumetric estimates were compared between AMD-exposed (BDI-II ⩾ 20) and unexposed (BDI-II < 14) infants, adjusted for age, sex and total intracranial volume using analysis of covariance. Results: Larger volumes were observed in AMD-exposed (N = 49) compared to unexposed infants (N = 75) for the right amygdala (1.93% difference, p = 0.039) and bilateral caudate nucleus (left: 5.79% difference, p = 0.001; right: 6.09% difference, p < 0.001). A significant AMD-by-sex interaction was found for the hippocampus (left: F(1,118) = 4.80, p = 0.030; right: F(1,118) = 5.16, p = 0.025), reflecting greater volume in AMD-exposed females (left: 5.09% difference, p = 0.001, right: 3.54% difference, p = 0.010), but not males. Conclusions: Volumetric differences in subcortical regions can be detected in AMD-exposed infants soon after birth, suggesting structural changes may occur in utero. Female infants might exhibit volumetric changes that are not observed in male infants. The potential mechanisms underlying these early volumetric differences, and their significance for long-term child mental health, require further investigation.

Published in NeuroImage: Clinical

ISSN: 2213-1582 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General): Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics; Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry: Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/neuroimage-clinical/

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