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The maternal reward system in postpartum depression

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Abstract

The experience of motherhood is most often emotionally positive and rewarding, but for many new mothers suffering from postpartum depression (PPD), this is not the case. Preclinical and clinical research has sought to uncover brain changes underlying PPD in order to gain a better understanding of how this disorder develops. This review focuses on the mesolimbic dopamine system, particularly the ventral tegmental area-nucleus accumbens pathway which has been implicated in the regulation of critical functions disrupted in PPD including mood, motivation, and mothering. Specifically, we discuss normative changes in the mesolimbic system during motherhood in both rodents and humans and how these are impacted in PPD. We also consider modulation of mesolimbic dopamine by the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin and how oxytocin-dopamine interactions regulate mood and mothering during the postpartum period. In addition to providing an overview of reward mechanisms in PPD, our goal is to highlight open questions which warrant further research.

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Funding

This work was funded by The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R21HD083791).

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  1. Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, 1835 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA

    Caitlin Post & Benedetta Leuner

  2. Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA

    Benedetta Leuner

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Post, C., Leuner, B. The maternal reward system in postpartum depression. Arch Womens Ment Health 22, 417–429 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0926-y

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