Washington: Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have found that women who developed mood and anxiety disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth had specific altered proteins circulating in their bloodstream in the third trimester.
The study is published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. "In this pilot study, we found that participants with perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) symptoms had a unique and distinct prenatal plasma protein signature that regulated certain brain signalling activity and pro-inflammatory pathways," said Eynav Accortt, PhD, director of the Reproductive Psychology Program at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. The controlled pilot study included 34 women at risk for developing PMAD and 18 controls. Mental health screening was conducted in the third trimester and again three months after giving birth. Investigators used a highly sensitive tool called slow off-rate modified aptamers (SOMA) scan technology to detect plasma biomarkers correlated with specific disorders, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 8, women experience significant symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders that can interfere with overall health, daily activities and family life. "The critical first step in the prevention of any disease is knowing if you are at risk. The process of discovering a diagnostic test for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, through biomarker research like this, is our holy grail," said Accortt, a clinical psychologist. "It can be incredibly challenging for a woman who is distressed to identify her need for intervention. Family members and friends can look for red flags but may not know how to help. If we had an early blood test, like the test all women take for gestational diabetes, she and her family would know that she is at higher risk and begin to get the education and consider treatment options much earlier," said Accortt.