Study Links Depression Treatment During Pregnancy to Better Infant Brain Development - Video

Could treating depression during pregnancy also support healthier brain development in babies? A new study suggests that psychotherapy for expectant mothers experiencing depression may influence infant brain development and improve early emotional regulation.

Published in Nature Communications, the study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz and collaborating institutions provides evidence from a randomized controlled trial that treating prenatal depression can influence the structure of the developing infant brain.

Prenatal depression is a common pregnancy complication, affecting an estimated 20% to 40% of pregnant individuals. Previous research has linked maternal depression with emotional, behavioural, and mental health difficulties in children, although much of the evidence has been observational.

To investigate whether treating depression during pregnancy could influence infant development, researchers conducted the Care Project, a randomized clinical trial involving pregnant individuals experiencing elevated depressive symptoms.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either interpersonal psychotherapy or enhanced usual care. The psychotherapy intervention included eight weekly sessions lasting 50 minutes each, focusing on improving relationships, emotional well-being and social support.

The findings revealed that infants whose mothers received psychotherapy showed differences in the development of the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory, learning and emotional processing.

Researchers observed approximately a 5% difference in hippocampal structure between infants whose mothers received psychotherapy and those receiving usual care.

Importantly, these brain differences were associated with lower negative emotionality and better emotional regulation when infants reached six months of age.

The findings suggest that addressing maternal depression during pregnancy may influence early neurological development, potentially offering benefits beyond improving maternal mental health.

However, further research is needed to determine whether these early brain differences translate into lasting improvements in childhood emotional and behavioural health.

REFERENCE: Catherine Demers, et al.; Study finds treating depression during pregnancy may benefit babies' brain development; Nature Communications; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-78276-4