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 .