A randomised trial suggests interpersonal psychotherapy for depression during pregnancy may influence babies’ early brain development and emotional responses, although longer-term effects remain unclear.
A new study published in Nature Communications suggests that treating depression during pregnancy may do more than support the mother’s mental health: it may also shape an infant’s early brain development. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and collaborating institutions found that babies born to mothers who received psychotherapy during pregnancy showed differences in a key brain structure linked with memory, learning and emotional processing, compared with those whose mothers received enhanced usual care.
The work is notable because it moves beyond the observational evidence that has long connected prenatal depression with later emotional and behavioural difficulties in children. In this randomised controlled trial, 109 infants were studied after mothers with elevated depressive symptoms were assigned either to interpersonal psychotherapy or to enhanced usual care. The therapy used in the study involved eight weekly 50-minute sessions focused on relationships, emotional wellbeing and social support. Researchers reported that the infants exposed to psychotherapy had smaller right hippocampal volumes, with about a 5% difference in hippocampal structure compared with the control group. According to the study, those brain differences were linked to lower negative emotionality and better emotional regulation at six months of age.
The findings do not prove that treatment during pregnancy guarantees better long-term outcomes for children, and the authors caution that further research is needed to learn whether these early brain differences persist into later childhood. Still, the study adds weight to the argument that prenatal mental health care may have benefits that extend beyond the mother. Prenatal depression is common, affecting an estimated 20% to 40% of pregnant people, and the new results suggest that addressing it during pregnancy could influence the developing brain at a stage when intervention may matter most.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
