How pregnancy blues can harm boys’ behaviour

DEPRESSION during pregnancy can lead to increased aggression and hyperactivity in boys, a study has revealed.

Up to a fifth of mothers-tobe experience symptoms such as difficulty sleeping and tearfulness, as well as feeling sad and low.

This can have an impact on the foetus by affecting the formation of networks in their brain, research shows.

These connections, between parts of the brain called white matter, influence how we process emotion. Weaker connections were associated with poorer behaviour in boys.

Scientists from the University of Calgary in Canada studied 54 mothers taking part in a survey about their depression symptoms at several points during their pregnancy.

They then used diffusion MRI brain scans to examine their children’s white matter when they were four and carried out behavioural tests.

Women who experienced more depression symptoms during pregnancy were found to have children with weaker white matter connections in their amygdala – the part of the brain involved in emotional processing.

This, the scientists say, could lead to disrupted emotional states – and may explain why the children of depressed mothers have a higher risk of developing depression themselves.

The study stated: ‘Prenatal depression is common, underrecognised and under-treated. It has negative consequences on child behaviour and development. Weaker connectivity [in the amygdala] was associated with worse behaviour in boys.’

Dr Catherine Lebel, lead author of the study, admitted scientists don’t know why depression in a mother can affect their child’s brain network, but suggested it could be related to increased stress hormones or even nutrition.