Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study

Background: Perinatal depression is common: on average, more than 13% of women suffer from physician-diagnosed disorder and 20% report symptoms bearing clinical relevance. Maternal depression not only significantly impacts women's quality of life but also increases the offspring's risk of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. Biaggi, V. Zonca, C. Anacker, V. Begni, F. Benedetti, A. Bramante, A. Braniecka, V. Brenna, M. Bulgheroni, C. Buss, L. Cavaliere, C.A.M. Cecil, A.C. Couch, D. de Barra, H. El Marroun, S. Entringer, R. Grassi-Oliveira, M. Jackowska, A. Korosi, P.J.C. Kwant, J. Lahti, K. Lekadir, I. Mansuy, F. Manuella, M. Marizzoni, U. Meyer, C. Monk, S. Nakić Radoš, C.M. Pariante, B.J.A. Pollux, K. Priestley, K. Räikkönen, J. Richetto, M.A. Riva, L.M. Rothmann, V. Simonetti, B. Vai, A.C. Vernon, M. Žutić, A. Cattaneo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625000195
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850031750413025280
author A. Biaggi
V. Zonca
C. Anacker
V. Begni
F. Benedetti
A. Bramante
A. Braniecka
V. Brenna
M. Bulgheroni
C. Buss
L. Cavaliere
C.A.M. Cecil
A.C. Couch
D. de Barra
H. El Marroun
S. Entringer
R. Grassi-Oliveira
M. Jackowska
A. Korosi
P.J.C. Kwant
J. Lahti
K. Lekadir
I. Mansuy
F. Manuella
M. Marizzoni
U. Meyer
C. Monk
S. Nakić Radoš
C.M. Pariante
B.J.A. Pollux
K. Priestley
K. Räikkönen
J. Richetto
M.A. Riva
L.M. Rothmann
V. Simonetti
B. Vai
A.C. Vernon
M. Žutić
A. Cattaneo
author_facet A. Biaggi
V. Zonca
C. Anacker
V. Begni
F. Benedetti
A. Bramante
A. Braniecka
V. Brenna
M. Bulgheroni
C. Buss
L. Cavaliere
C.A.M. Cecil
A.C. Couch
D. de Barra
H. El Marroun
S. Entringer
R. Grassi-Oliveira
M. Jackowska
A. Korosi
P.J.C. Kwant
J. Lahti
K. Lekadir
I. Mansuy
F. Manuella
M. Marizzoni
U. Meyer
C. Monk
S. Nakić Radoš
C.M. Pariante
B.J.A. Pollux
K. Priestley
K. Räikkönen
J. Richetto
M.A. Riva
L.M. Rothmann
V. Simonetti
B. Vai
A.C. Vernon
M. Žutić
A. Cattaneo
author_sort A. Biaggi
collection DOAJ
description Background: Perinatal depression is common: on average, more than 13% of women suffer from physician-diagnosed disorder and 20% report symptoms bearing clinical relevance. Maternal depression not only significantly impacts women's quality of life but also increases the offspring's risk of negative developmental outcomes, including mental disorders, through a combination of maternal alterations in in-utero biology and postnatal rearing factors during the early period of life. The HappyMums project aims to improve our understanding of perinatal depression by identifying the factors that robustly predict risk and resilience in mothers and their offspring, determining underlying neurobiological mechanisms, and, finally, testing the efficacy of potential interventions. Methods: HappyMums will use data from a large collection of cohorts and registries containing biological, clinical, socio-demographic, environmental, and lifestyle data. It will pool unique human samples of maternal blood, placenta, chorionic villi and amniotic fluid, analyzing these data alongside pre-clinical samples of brain, blood and placental tissue from models of prenatal stress in mice and livebearing fish for correlative analyses. HappyMums will develop a mobile application (App) to collect multiple data types from women for early screening and monitoring of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The findings generated by HappyMums will be clinically relevant as they will increase the knowledge on perinatal depression, with unprecedented benefits for the offspring and the society as a whole.
format Article
id doaj-art-2fda33a8fd5345b2bcec7af95e78d1e4
institution DOAJ
issn 2666-3546
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
spelling doaj-art-2fda33a8fd5345b2bcec7af95e78d1e42025-08-20T02:58:52ZengElsevierBrain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health2666-35462025-03-014410096110.1016/j.bbih.2025.100961Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums studyA. Biaggi0V. Zonca1C. Anacker2V. Begni3F. Benedetti4A. Bramante5A. Braniecka6V. Brenna7M. Bulgheroni8C. Buss9L. Cavaliere10C.A.M. Cecil11A.C. Couch12D. de Barra13H. El Marroun14S. Entringer15R. Grassi-Oliveira16M. Jackowska17A. Korosi18P.J.C. Kwant19J. Lahti20K. Lekadir21I. Mansuy22F. Manuella23M. Marizzoni24U. Meyer25C. Monk26S. Nakić Radoš27C.M. Pariante28B.J.A. Pollux29K. Priestley30K. Räikkönen31J. Richetto32M.A. Riva33L.M. Rothmann34V. Simonetti35B. Vai36A.C. Vernon37M. Žutić38A. Cattaneo39Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, ItalyDivision of Systems Neuroscience, Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.(RFMH) / New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), New York, NY, 10032, USABiological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125, Brescia, ItalyIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, ItalyPolicentro Salute Ambulatory, Italian Marcé Society, Milan, ItalyInstitute of Psychology, SWPS University, Chodakowska 19/31, 03-815, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Niguarda Hospital, Italian Marcé Society, Milan, ItalyAb.Acus S.r.l, ItalyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Department of Pediatrics, and Development, Health and Disease Research Program University of California, Irvine, USADepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the NetherlandsDepartment of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United KingdomTommy's, United KingdomDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies - Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the NetherlandsCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, 10117, Berlin, Germany; Department of Pediatrics, and Development, Health and Disease Research Program University of California, Irvine, USATranslational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 11, A701-129, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark; School of Medicine, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande Do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilFaculty of Psychology, SWPS University, Polna 16/20, 81-745, Sopot, PolandSwammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, Brain Plasticity Group, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsExperimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandUniversitat de Barcelona, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Lab (BCN-AIM), Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, SpainLaboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Research Institute, Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich and Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Neuroscience Center, ETH and University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandLaboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Research Institute, Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich and Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Neuroscience Center, ETH and University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandBiological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125, Brescia, ItalyZurich Neuroscience Center, ETH and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich-Vetsuisse, Zürich, SwitzerlandColumbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, USAUniversity Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, CroatiaInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United KingdomExperimental Zoology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the NetherlandsInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandZurich Neuroscience Center, ETH and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich-Vetsuisse, Zürich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125, Brescia, ItalyTranslational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 11, A701-129, 8200, Aarhus, DenmarkAb.Acus S.r.l, ItalyIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, United KingdomUniversity Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125, Brescia, Italy; Corresponding author. Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.Background: Perinatal depression is common: on average, more than 13% of women suffer from physician-diagnosed disorder and 20% report symptoms bearing clinical relevance. Maternal depression not only significantly impacts women's quality of life but also increases the offspring's risk of negative developmental outcomes, including mental disorders, through a combination of maternal alterations in in-utero biology and postnatal rearing factors during the early period of life. The HappyMums project aims to improve our understanding of perinatal depression by identifying the factors that robustly predict risk and resilience in mothers and their offspring, determining underlying neurobiological mechanisms, and, finally, testing the efficacy of potential interventions. Methods: HappyMums will use data from a large collection of cohorts and registries containing biological, clinical, socio-demographic, environmental, and lifestyle data. It will pool unique human samples of maternal blood, placenta, chorionic villi and amniotic fluid, analyzing these data alongside pre-clinical samples of brain, blood and placental tissue from models of prenatal stress in mice and livebearing fish for correlative analyses. HappyMums will develop a mobile application (App) to collect multiple data types from women for early screening and monitoring of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The findings generated by HappyMums will be clinically relevant as they will increase the knowledge on perinatal depression, with unprecedented benefits for the offspring and the society as a whole.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625000195Perinatal depressionPregnancyRisk factorsBiological mechanismsOffspringIntergenerational transmission
spellingShingle A. Biaggi
V. Zonca
C. Anacker
V. Begni
F. Benedetti
A. Bramante
A. Braniecka
V. Brenna
M. Bulgheroni
C. Buss
L. Cavaliere
C.A.M. Cecil
A.C. Couch
D. de Barra
H. El Marroun
S. Entringer
R. Grassi-Oliveira
M. Jackowska
A. Korosi
P.J.C. Kwant
J. Lahti
K. Lekadir
I. Mansuy
F. Manuella
M. Marizzoni
U. Meyer
C. Monk
S. Nakić Radoš
C.M. Pariante
B.J.A. Pollux
K. Priestley
K. Räikkönen
J. Richetto
M.A. Riva
L.M. Rothmann
V. Simonetti
B. Vai
A.C. Vernon
M. Žutić
A. Cattaneo
Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
Perinatal depression
Pregnancy
Risk factors
Biological mechanisms
Offspring
Intergenerational transmission
title Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study
title_full Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study
title_fullStr Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study
title_full_unstemmed Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study
title_short Understanding, predicting, and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers' and offspring's mental health outcomes: The HappyMums study
title_sort understanding predicting and treating depression in pregnancy to improve mothers and offspring s mental health outcomes the happymums study
topic Perinatal depression
Pregnancy
Risk factors
Biological mechanisms
Offspring
Intergenerational transmission
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625000195
work_keys_str_mv AT abiaggi understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT vzonca understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT canacker understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT vbegni understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT fbenedetti understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT abramante understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT abraniecka understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT vbrenna understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT mbulgheroni understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT cbuss understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT lcavaliere understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT camcecil understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT accouch understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT ddebarra understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT helmarroun understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT sentringer understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT rgrassioliveira understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT mjackowska understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT akorosi understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT pjckwant understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT jlahti understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT klekadir understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT imansuy understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT fmanuella understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT mmarizzoni understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT umeyer understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT cmonk understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT snakicrados understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT cmpariante understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT bjapollux understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT kpriestley understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT kraikkonen understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT jrichetto understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT mariva understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT lmrothmann understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT vsimonetti understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT bvai understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT acvernon understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT mzutic understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy
AT acattaneo understandingpredictingandtreatingdepressioninpregnancytoimprovemothersandoffspringsmentalhealthoutcomesthehappymumsstudy