Antidepressant use during pregnancy may combine with inflammation to heighten the risk of lifelong neurodevelopmental changes in babies’ brains, such as those linked to autism, new research suggests.
A team of neuroscientists found that commonly used antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can interact powerfully with inflammation in the mother’s body from infections or other sources. In lab mice, this interaction caused harmful changes in the placenta and the decidua – the direct connection between mother and child – and affected the developing brain.
“Our findings suggest that [SSRIs] can have deleterious consequences when mixed with infection, inflammation, etc.,” said the senior researcher. “Our results might help to explain the rise in autism prevalence over the last 20 years, as this time coincides with the rollout of widespread SSRI usage in the developing world.”
SSRIs are commonly used during pregnancy, being prescribed to 80% of pregnant women who need depression medication. The drugs are widely considered a safe option for managing depression in pregnant women, though there has been some evidence that they can increase the chances of premature delivery as well as up the risk of neurological issues and other health problems in children.
The researchers found that SSRIs can interact with the mother’s immune system to produce a strong inflammatory reaction at the “maternal-fetal interface,” the physical connection between mother and offspring during pregnancy.
The offspring of mothers exposed to inflammation later showed sex-based behavioral changes like the behaviors seen in people with autism, such as diminished communication and decreased interest in social interactions. Such mouse models are widely used as an important autism research tool.
“We identified inflammatory signatures in the placenta that correlated with neurologic changes in the adult offspring of mothers that encountered an immune challenge during pregnancy,” said the first author. “These signatures could be used to help identify biomarkers and druggable targets to help mitigate neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal environmental stressors, like an immune response.”
Prior research has shown that infections, autoimmune disorders and other conditions that alter a mother’s immune state during pregnancy can affect neurodevelopment. SSRIs, the UVA researchers believe, may be interacting with that inflammation and amplifying it, leading to permanent brain changes.
The results make sense, the researchers say, because of how SSRIs alter serotonin in the body. Serotonin is an important mood regulator – it’s often thought of as a “feel good” chemical in the brain -- but it’s also a vital regulator of the body’s immune response. Developing infants receive serotonin only from their mothers via the placenta in the early stages of pregnancy, so disrupting serotonin levels in mom may have consequences for baby as well.
The researchers found that inflammation alone and in combination with SSRIs altered serotonin levels in the placenta, yet in opposite directions. “We found that mothers who encountered an immune challenge during pregnancy showed a totally different signature in the placenta when they were on SSRIs compared to mothers that were not on SSRIs,” the author said. “This highlights the importance of considering the entire prenatal environment, as drugs designed to dampen inflammation may lead to unanticipated consequences on the baby if they are combined with other modulators, such as SSRIs.”
The researchers noted that SSRIs are important tools for managing depression and emphasized that pregnant women should not stop taking them without consulting their doctors. Instead, the scientists are calling for additional studies, eventually in human subjects, to determine how the drugs may affect mother and child and to better understand the interactions of SSRIs and inflammation.
“Untreated maternal stress, depression and anxiety can all on their own perturb offspring neurodevelopment, contributing to adverse behavioral and cognitive outcomes,” the researchers write. “It will therefore be of utmost importance to consider both the relative benefits and potential consequences of SSRIs as a therapeutic option during pregnancy.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159122004299
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fssri-treatment-modifies&filter=22
Antidepressant use, infection during pregnancy linked to neurodevelopmental disorders
- 1,355 views
- Added
Latest News
Worm neural signal propagat…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Nov
Regenerating muscle by dire…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Nov
Brain and heart connections…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Nov
Inhibition of polyamine bio…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Nov
Monomeric α-synuclein activ…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Nov
Other Top Stories
Factors in breast milk may play a role in transmission of obesity
Read more
Study Shows Some 3D Printed Objects are Toxic
Read more
Cholesterol-lowering 'portfolio diet' also reduces blood pressure
Read more
Fitter legs linked to a 'fitter' brain
Read more
Dengue: Asymptomatic people transmit the virus to mosquitoes
Read more
Protocols
Biology-guided deep learnin…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Nov
Accurate prediction of prot…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Nov
The Brainbox–a tool to faci…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Nov
Real-time analysis of the c…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Nov
A flexible and versatile sy…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Nov
Publications
Neural signal propagation a…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Nov
Exercised breastmilk: a kic…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Nov
Phase I clinical trial of i…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Nov
The endolysosomal pathway a…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Nov
Brain metastasis-associated…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Nov
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar