| 1. |
- Björvang, Richelle D., et al.
(författare)
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Mid-pregnancy allopregnanolone levels and trajectories of perinatal depressive symptoms
- 2024
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perinatal depression is a major cause of disability for individuals giving birth worldwide, with detrimental effects on short- and long-term parental and child outcomes. There is emerging evidence that the neuroactive steroid hormone allopregnanolone is implicated in the pathophysiology and course of perinatal mood symptoms. However, no study thus far has examined allopregnanolone levels whilst making use of longitudinal data on depressive symptom trajectories throughout the perinatal period. The present study investigated levels of allopregnanolone at gestational week 17 of 252 participants in relation to perinatal depressive symptom trajectories, with a secondary aim of exploring the role of history of depression as an effect modifier. Four perinatal depressive symptom trajectories were investigated: controls (no depressive symptoms throughout perinatal period) (N=161), antepartum (depressive symptoms prenatally with postpartum remission) (N=31), postpartumonset (no depressive symptoms during pregnancy, development of depressive symptoms postpartum) (N=23), and persistent (depressive symptoms throughout the perinatal period) (N=37). Results show that for every one nmol/l increase in allopregnanolone, there was 7% higher odds for persistent depressive symptoms (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14) compared to controls. No association was seen for antepartum and postpartum-onset depressive symptoms. History of depression did not modify the association between allopregnanolone and perinatal depressive symptom trajectories. These results show the role of allopregnanolone for persistent depressive symptoms and strengthen the hypothesis of differences in pathophysiology among the trajectories.
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| 2. |
- Breedh, Julia, et al.
(författare)
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Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness, startle response, and sensorimotor gating in late pregnancy
- 2019
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 106, s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During pregnancy, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the main regulator of the stress response, undergoes dramatic changes. The acoustic startle response (ASR) and the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response are neurophysiological research tools and objective measures of an individual's response to an emotional context or stressor. The ASR and PPI are influenced by psychiatric diseases characterized by anxiety symptoms and are sensitive to cortisol. Hence, the ASR and the PPI can be used to investigate the effects of pregnancy-induced endocrine changes and their contribution to affective disorders. The present study sought to investigate the association between measures of HPA-axis responsiveness, startle reactivity and sensorimotor gating during pregnancy that to date remains unknown. The eye-blink component of the ASR, and its prepulse inhibition, were measured in 107 late third trimester pregnant women. Saliva samples were collected to assess the cortisol awakening response (CAR), a measure of HPA-axis activity. Blood was sampled to measure serum levels of cortisol, cortisone and the cortisone to cortisol ratio. Ongoing anxiety disorders, sleep duration, smoking, and age were considered as potential confounders in the statistical analyses. CAR reactivity, measured as area under the curve (AUC) increase and above baseline, was positively associated with baseline startle magnitude [Cohen's d = 0.27; F (1, 105) = 4.99; p = 0.028, and Cohen's d = 0.30; F (1, 105) = 6.25; p = 0.014, respectively] as well as PPI at 86 dB [Cohen's d = 0.29; F (1, 105) = 5.93; p = 0.017; and Cohen's d = 0.34; F (1, 105) = 8.38; p = 0.005, respectively]. The observed positive correlation between startle magnitude in pregnant women and greater increase in cortisol during the awakening response may be interpreted as heightened neurophysiological reactivity, likely associated with dysregulation of the stress system.
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| 3. |
- Bränn, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammatory markers in late pregnancy in association with postpartum depression-A nested case-control study.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 79, s. 146-159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies indicate that the immune system adaptation during pregnancy could play a significant role in the pathophysiology of perinatal depression. The aim of this study was to investigate if inflammation markers in a late pregnancy plasma sample can predict the presence of depressive symptoms at eight weeks postpartum. Blood samples from 291 pregnant women (median and IQR for days to delivery, 13 and 7-23days respectively) comprising 63 individuals with postpartum depressive symptoms, as assessed by the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS≥12) and/or the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) and 228 controls were analyzed with an inflammation protein panel using multiplex proximity extension assay technology, comprising of 92 inflammation-associated markers. A summary inflammation variable was also calculated. Logistic regression, LASSO and Elastic net analyses were implemented. Forty markers were lower in late pregnancy among women with depressive symptoms postpartum. The difference remained statistically significant for STAM-BP (or otherwise AMSH), AXIN-1, ADA, ST1A1 and IL-10, after Bonferroni correction. The summary inflammation variable was ranked as the second best variable, following personal history of depression, in predicting depressive symptoms postpartum. The protein-level findings for STAM-BP and ST1A1 were validated in relation to methylation status of loci in the respective genes in a different population, using openly available data. This explorative approach revealed differences in late pregnancy levels of inflammation markers between women presenting with depressive symptoms postpartum and controls, previously not described in the literature. Despite the fact that the results do not support the use of a single inflammation marker in late pregnancy for assessing risk of postpartum depression, the use of STAM-BP or the novel notion of a summary inflammation variable developed in this work might be used in combination with other biological markers in the future.
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| 4. |
- Castro, Rita Amiel, et al.
(författare)
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Pregnancy-related hormones and COMT genotype : Associations with maternal working memory
- 2021
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Women experience different degrees of subjective cognitive changes during pregnancy. The exact mechanism underlying these changes is unknown, although endocrine alterations and genetics may be contributing factors. We investigated whether multiple pregnancy-related hormones were associated with working memory function assessed with the Digit Span Test (DST) in late pregnancy. Moreover, we examined whether the catechol-Omethyltransferase (COMT) genotype, previously related to working memory, was an effect modifier in this association. In this population-based panel study, we recorded psychiatric history, medication use, socio-demographic characteristics, and psychological well-being, gathered blood and saliva samples, and administered the DST at gestational weeks 35-39 (N = 216). We conducted multivariate linear regressions with DST as outcome, with different hormones and COMT genotype, adjusting for covariates including maternal age, BMI, education, depressive symptoms, and parity. We repeated these analyses excluding women with elevated depressive symptoms. Higher DST total scores were associated with increased free estradiol concentrations (B = 0.01, p = 0.03; B = 0.01, p = 0.02) in all participants and in participants without depressive symptoms, respectively, whereas DST forward was positively associated with free estradiol only in women without depressive symptoms (B = 0.01, p = 0.04). Lower total testosterone concentrations (B = -0.03, p = 0.01) enhanced DST backward performance in non-depressed women. Maternal higher education was significantly associated with the DST subscales in all participants. No significant differences emerged when considering the COMT genotype. Our results suggest differential associations of free estradiol and total testosterone levels with working memory function in late pregnancy.
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| 5. |
- Comasco, Erika, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Supraphysiological hormonal status, anxiety disorders, and COMT Val/Val genotype are associated with reduced sensorimotor gating in women
- 2015
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 60, s. 217-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pregnancy is a period characterized by a supraphysiological hormonal status, and greater anxiety proneness, which can lead to peripartum affective symptoms with dramatic consequences not only for the woman but also for the child. Clinical psychiatry is heavily hampered by the paucity of objective and biology-based intermediate phenotypes. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, a neurophysiological measure of sensorimotor gating, has been poorly investigated in relation to anxiety and in pregnant women. In the present study, the PPI of healthy non-pregnant women (n=82) and late pregnant women (n=217) was investigated. Age, BMI, depression and anxiety symptoms, tobacco use, and antidepressant medication were considered. We investigated and provided evidence of lower PPI: (i) in healthy pregnant women compared to healthy non-pregnant controls, (ii) in pregnant women with anxiety disorders compared to healthy pregnant women, (iii) in pregnant women with anxiety disorders using SSRI compared to un-medicated pregnant women with anxiety disorders, and (iv) in healthy pregnant women carrying the COMT Val158Met Val/Val genotype compared to Met carriers. Altogether, a reduced sensorimotor gating as an effect of supraphysiological hormonal status, anxiety disorders, SSRIs, and catecholaminergic genotype, implicate the putative relevance of lower PPI as an objective biological correlate of anxiety proneness in pregnant women. These findings call for prospective studies to dissect the multifactorial influences on PPI in relation to mental health of pregnant women.
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| 6. |
- Edvinsson, Åsa, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Lower inflammatory markers in women with antenatal depression brings the M1/M2 balance into focus from a new direction
- 2017
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 80, s. 15-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Antenatal depression and use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in pregnancy have both been associated with an increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and impaired fetal growth. While the underlying biological pathways for these complications are poorly understood, it has been hypothesized that inflammation may be a common physiological pathway. The aim of the present study was to assess peripheral inflammatory markers in healthy women, women with antenatal depression, and in women using SSRI during pregnancy.Methods: 160 healthy pregnant controls, 59 women with antenatal depression and 39 women on treatment with SSRIs were included. The relative levels of 92 inflammatory proteins were analyzed by proximity extension assay technology.Results: Overall, 23 of the inflammatory markers were significantly lower in women with antenatal depression and in women on treatment with SSRIs in comparison with the healthy controls. No difference in any of the inflammatory markers was observed between women with antenatal depression and those who were using SSRI. Top three inflammatory markers that were down-regulated in women with antenatal depression were TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), p = 0.000001, macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1), p = 0.000004, and fractalkine (CX3CL1), p =0.000005. Corresponding inflammatory markers in SSRI users were CSF-1, p = 0.000011, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), p =0.000016, and IL-15 receptor subunit alpha (IL-15RA), p = 0.000027. The inflammatory markers were negatively correlated with cortisone serum concentrations in controls, but not in the cases. Differential DNA methylation of was found for seven of these inflammatory markers in an independent epigenetics cohort.Conclusion: Women with antenatal depression or on SSRI treatment have lower levels of a number of peripheral inflammatory markers than healthy pregnant controls. Hypothetically, this could be due to dysregulated switch to the pro-M2 milieu that characterizes normal third trimester pregnancy. However, longitudinal blood sampling is needed to elucidate whether the presumably dysregulated M2 shift is driving the development of antenatal depression or is a result of the depression.
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| 7. |
- Georgakis, Marios K., et al.
(författare)
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Surgical menopause in association with cognitive function and risk of dementia : A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 106, s. 9-19
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Experimental and epidemiological studies suggest female sex hormones to have long-lasting neuroprotective and anti-ageing properties. Surgically-induced menopause leads to a premature cessation of exposure to female sex hormones and could thus impact late-life cognitive function. Yet, evidence remains controversial. Methods: We systematically reviewed literature for articles investigating the association of surgical menopause (defined as bilateral oophorectomy before the onset of menopause) with risk of dementia, cognitive performance, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease neuropathological indices later in life. We evaluated study quality with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and performed random-effects meta-analyses. Results: We identified 11 eligible studies (N = 18,867). Although surgical menopause at any age was not associated with risk of dementia (4 studies; HR: 1.16, 95%CI: 0.96-1.43), early surgical menopause (<= 45 years of age) was associated with a statistically significantly higher risk (2 studies; HR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.07-2.69). Surgical menopause at any age was associated with faster decline in verbal memory, semantic memory, and processing speed, whereas early surgical menopause was further associated with faster global cognitive decline. No heterogeneity was noted. Among women undergoing surgical menopause, a younger age at surgery was associated with faster decline in global cognition, semantic and episodic memory, worse performance in verbal fluency and executive function, and accumulation of Alzheimer's neuropathology. Conclusions: Current evidence is limited, but suggests surgical menopause induced by bilateral oophorectomy at <= 45 years of age to be associated with higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline. Additional large-scale cohort studies are necessary to replicate these findings.
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| 8. |
- Hellgren, Charlotte, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Cortisol awakening response in late pregnancy in women with previous or ongoing depression
- 2013
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 38:12, s. 3150-3154
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pregnancy is associated with increased basal cortisol levels, and decreased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity. The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is a measure of HPA-axis reactivity which has been reported to be increased in patients with ongoing depressive disorder and in individuals with remitted depression. In this study, we investigated HPA-axis reactivity in pregnant women with ongoing or previous depression. The CAR was assessed by measurement of salivary cortisol at awakening and 15, 30, and 45min post-awakening. Based on structured psychiatric interviews and repeated measurements of depressive symptoms during pregnancy, 134 women were included in one of the three groups: never depressed (n=57), depressed prior to the current pregnancy (n=39), and depressed during the current pregnancy (n=38). Given the prior findings of increased CAR in non-pregnant depressed subjects, we hypothesized that an ongoing or previous depression would result in a higher CAR. Contrary to our hypothesis, a mixed models analysis failed to yield significant group differences. Thus, our results suggest that never depressed pregnant women and women with depression during pregnancy have similar cortisol awakening responses. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the cortisol awakening response does not differ between currently healthy women with and without experience of a depressive episode during late pregnancy.
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| 9. |
- Hellgren, Charlotte, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Cortisol awakening response in late pregnancy in women with previous or ongoing depression
- 2013
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 38:12, s. 3150-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Pregnancy involves an increase in basal cortisol, and a decrease in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity. The cortisol awakening response is a measure of HPA axis reactivity which has been reported to be altered in patients with an ongoing depressive episode, as well as in individuals with remitted depression.This study aimed to use the cortisol awakening response to study the HPA axis reactivity in relation to previous and ongoing depression in women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Based on structured interviews, and repeated questionnaires during pregnancy, 134 women were included in one of three groups: never depressed (n=57), depressed prior to the current pregnancy (n=39), and depressed during the current pregnancy (n=38). The hypothesis was that the women with ongoing, or previous, depression would have a higher cortisol awakening response than women who have never suffered from depression.Linear mixed models analysis revealed no group differences in the absolute cortisol levels or in the shape of the cortisol awakening response. We conclude that the difference in cortisol awakening response between women with and without experience of a depressive episode is not evident in late pregnancy.
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| 10. |
- Skalkidou, Alkistis, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Stress-related genetic polymorphisms in association with peripartum depression symptoms and stress hormones : A longitudinal population-based study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 103, s. 296-305
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Individual differences in the response of the stress system to hormonal changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period render some women susceptible to developing depression. The present study sought to investigate peripartum depression and stress hormones in relation to stress-related genotypes. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess peripartum depressive symptoms in a sample of 1629 women, followed from pregnancy week seventeen to six months postpartum. Genotypes of ninety-four haplotype-tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in sixteen genes of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis pathway were analyzed and data on psychosocial and demographic factors was collected. In sub-studies, salivary cortisol awakening response in gestational week 35–39, salivary evening cortisol levels in gestational week 36 and postpartum week 6, and blood cortisol and cortisone levels in gestational week 35–39 were analyzed. SNP-set kernel association tests were performed at the gene-level, considering psychosocial and demographic factors, followed by post-hoc analyses of SNPs of significant genes. Statistically significant findings at the 0.05 p-level included SNPs in the hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1 (HSD11B1) gene in relation to self-rated depression scores in postpartum week six among all participants, and serpin family A member 6 (SERPINA6) gene at the same time-point among women with de novo onset of postpartum depression. SNPs in these genes also associated with stress hormone levels during pregnancy. The present study adds knowledge to the neurobiological basis of peripartum depression by systematically assessing SNPs in stress-regulatory genes and stress-hormone levels in a population-based sample of women. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
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