Project Summary

Ronnen H. Segman, M.D. (Independent Investigator 2005) of Hadassah University Hospital/Hebrew University, will build upon prior work in posttraumatic stress disorder to study postpartum depression. He notes that over 10% of mothers manifest full blown postnatal major depressive disorder (PNMDD), which results in significant morbidity for both mother and newborn. To date, it has been difficult to study the molecular underpinnings of this differential vulnerability due to the lack of timely access to relevant processes. However, Dr. Segman will study the simultaneous expression patterns of genes in blood cells of mothers diagnosed with PNMDD versus healthy mothers. He will look for differentially expressed genes that indicate PNMDD and detect regulatory elements and functional networks. Informative genes will be investigated for genomic variation that may predispose to PNMDD. These findings may elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of PNMDD and may aid in the early diagnosis of mothers at risk.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Unipolar\Postpartum Depression

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