Project Summary

Kimberly A. Yonkers, M.D. (Independent Investigator 2005) of Yale University School of Medicine, notes that approximately 10% of pregnant women will receive antidepressant therapy to either treat an ongoing psychiatric disorder or prevent the recurrence of one. As such, there has been considerable interest in determining the safety of antidepressant exposure to the developing fetus. Recent interest has focused on whether or not the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) is associated with perinatal complications resulting from either serotonergic overstimulation or withdrawal. Dr. Yonkers will determine whether there is a higher rate of perinatal complications among offspring exposed to SRIs but not maternal depression during the third trimester compared to 1) offspring not exposed to SRIs but exposed to maternal depression during the third trimester and 2) offspring who are exposed to neither. She hypothesizes that offspring exposed to SRIs but not maternal depression during the third trimester will have a higher rate of motor activity, respiratory complications and symptoms of serotonin hyperactivity than subjects who are exposed to only maternal depression, or controls with neither exposure. Moreover, offspring exposed to maternal depression but not SRIs will have lower motor tone and fewer changes of activity state than either neonates exposed only to SRIs but not maternal depression and controls with neither exposure. Using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, infants will be monitored over the course of 1 hour for tremulousness, startle, and changes of state, and infant motor activity will be measured. Infants will then undergo a standard examination of serotonergic hyperactivity. Finally, medical records will be reviewed and information on other infant exposures and APGAR scores will be compared. This study will constitute the largest controlled study, and one of the only studies to consider maternal diagnosis in order to examine the effects of maternal SRI use on neonatal behavior.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Unipolar

Search Again