A new theory about postpartum depression: a lack of a cellular cleansing process

According to new research by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Virginia, a cellular process called autophagy may be damaged in pregnant women with postpartum depression (PPD), a process that helps remove cellular debris
.

"Our study suggests that autophagy may be suppressed in pregnant women with postpartum depression, so their cells collect more and more junk or unhealthy byproducts from metabolic processes in the body," said
Lauren M.
Osborne, Ph.
D.
, lead author of the paper and associate director of clinical research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr.
Osborne conducted the study
at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In a Sept.
22 paper published in Molecular Psychiatry, the researchers note that understanding the underlying mechanisms of postpartum depression could help doctors better manage the disorder
.

Postpartum depression is a serious mental health condition that endangers the health of
both parents and babies.
One in eight women suffers from the disease, making it the most common postpartum complication
.
"If we can figure out a biological way to predict who is at risk for postpartum depression, we can better intervene during pregnancy to prevent the disease," Dr.
Osborne said
.

The researchers decided to evaluate the role of messenger RNA in extracellular vesicles (EVs) in PPD, the first to
do so.
Extracellular vesicles are membrane-bound structures that enable cells to exchange proteins, lipids, and messenger RNA for cell-to-cell communication
.
Previous studies have shown that EV levels rise
during pregnancy.
"We know that extracellular RNA communication is associated with important aspects of pregnancy, such as how the placenta is formed, and issues such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia," Dr.
Osborne said
.
"It also makes sense
to study its role in postpartum depression.
"

The researchers studied plasma samples
collected from seven non-depressed pregnant women with postpartum depression and seven control groups without postpartum depression.
Samples were collected in the second and third trimesters, two weeks, six weeks, three months, and six months
after delivery.
Although the study was small, the researchers found significant differences
between the two groups.
Laboratory and computational analysis of blood samples found that EV messenger RNA levels changed in women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, continuing to develop PPD
.

Notably, PPD blood samples had low
levels of EV mRNA associated with autophagy.
Dr.
Osborne said further research is needed to determine how this is directly linked to
the development of postpartum depression.

To test their findings, Dr.
Osborne and her colleagues wanted to conduct a study
of 600 women from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

"If we replicate our original study, this study could lay the groundwork for biological testing in pregnant women to help predict postpartum depression," Dr.
Osborne said
.
"This can help doctors prevent and control the condition, whether through non-pharmacological means such as mindfulness, yoga and neurofeedback, or medications
such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
"