Slow brain growth in babies linked to depression during pregnancy

A recent study, conducted by Dr. Hanan El Marroun, a scientific researcher at Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's hospital, and published in Archives of General Psychiatry , reveals that babies whose mothers are depressed while they are pregnant have a greater chance of growing more slowly than other babies, resulting in the head and body showing retarded growth. Also, the study shows that antidepressants increase the risk of slow growth in the development of babies' brains. Although women who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), types of antidepressants, have less depressive symptoms than they did before, their baby's head does not grow at the rate of a healthy baby. Many women experience a roller coaster of emotions during pregnancy - including: stress, confusion, fear, sadness, and depression. Although it was previously believed that SSRIs were safe for treating depression during pregnancy, this may not be the case. Dr. Marroun said: "SSRIs can cross the placenta and disrupt the serotonin balance. Serotonin is important for the growth of the developing brain. Animal testing has already shown that this disruption can have an adverse effect on the development of the brain." To determine her findings, Dr. Hanan El Marroun analyzed 3 groups of women who were pregnant. The first group showed no depressive symptoms, the second group showed severe depressive symptoms, and the third were women who were taking SSRIs to treat their depression. Every 3 months, the researchers studied the unborn babies by using ultrasound technology. They discovered that the women who did not have any depressive symptoms had babies who were growing faster than the babies of the women who had depressive symptoms. The babies whose mothers were taking SSRIs had heads that were growing slowly. However, their bodies were growing at a normal rate. The authors explain that slow growth in the head of a fetus may result in slow brain development, as well. Marroun concludes: "The fetus has a mechanism that ensures that the development of the brain is not disrupted under poorer conditions. If, for example, there is a shortage of nutrition or oxygen, the skin and liver are affected first, sparing the brain. The fact that exposure to SSRIs affect the growth of the head and not the body means that SSRIs are specifically harmful to the developing brain. The long-term effects will have to be investigated further."