Plasma concentrations of neurotransmitters and postpartum depression
1. Department of Nursing, Nanhai Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan Guangdong 528244, China; 2. McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada; 3. Department of Aging Industry, Changsha Social Work College, Changsha 410004, China; 4. Department of Community Nursing, Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China)
Objective: To determine associations between postpartum depression (PPD) and plasma
neurotransmitters.
Methods: We conducted a case-control study nested to a prospective cohort established in 3
comprehensive tertiary hospitals in Changsha, Hunan, China from February to September 2007.
The Chinese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used at 2 weeks
postpartum to screen PPD, with a score of 13 or higher as the cut-off for PPD. The women with
matched age but without PPD and delivery within 5 years were selected as controls. The levels
of plasma monoamine neurotransmitters including serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT),
dopamine (DA), and norepinephrine (NE), and peptide neurotransmitters including neuropeptide
Y (NPY) and substance P (SP) in maternal blood samples taken at 2 weeks postpartum were
measured and compared between PPD women (n=42) and controls (n=42).
Results: Plasma levels of 5-HT and NPY were significantly lower while plasma levels of NE and
SP were significantly higher in PPD women than those in the controls. For women with PPD, a
negative correlation between NPY and NE (r=–0.36, P﹤0.05) was observed.
Conclusion: There are changes in plasma levels of neurotransmitters in women with PPD, and
there are potential interactions between different neurotransmitters.
作者简介: This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (06JJ4055), the Project of Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department (06FJ4103), and the Project of Hunan Provincial Education Department (06C072), China.
引用本文:
谢日华1, 2，谢海艳3，Daniel Krewski2，何国平4. 血浆神经递质浓度与产后抑郁症的关系[J]. 中南大学学报(医学版), 2018, 43(3): 274-281.
XIE Rihua1, 2, XIE Haiyan3, Daniel Krewski2, HE Guoping4. Plasma concentrations of neurotransmitters and postpartum depression. Journal of Central South University(Medical Scienc, 2018, 43(3): 274-281.
