# Effects of prenatal maternal depression and antidepressant exposures on offspring neurodevelopmental trajectories: A birth cohort study

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC · 2021 · $612,599

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This new R01 aims to study the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant
medication use by women in pregnancy on their offspring’s brain and cognitive development in the first two
years of life. Fetal exposure to antidepressants is a critical public health question because prescriptions of
SSRIs to pregnant women have increased 4-8-fold over the last 30 years, yet their impact on fetal
neurodevelopment remains unknown. Although considered safe and effective for the mother, SSRIs readily
cross the placenta and into the fetal brain, potentially altering the important neurotropic role of 5-HT during the
fetal period. Whether this fetal exposure translates to long-term effects on the offspring remain unclear. The
choices facing physicians and pregnant women are similarly unclear, as discontinuing SSRI and leaving
maternal depression untreated can have deleterious consequences for both mother and child. To address
these questions more definitively, we have partnered with the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada) to
develop a new birth cohort and test the effects of SSRI and maternal depression exposures on offspring
neurodevelopment. We will enroll pregnant women with (n=250) and without (n=125) a depressive disorder in
their first trimester, and assess the course of their depressive symptoms and medication usage over the
remaining pregnancy. By conclusion of pregnancy, we will know whether the infant was exposed to SSRIs; the
quantity (dose) and timing (trimester) of that exposure; and the length and severity of maternal depression
during the concurrent period. We will perform an MRI scan and EEG assessment when the infant is 1 month
old, and then longitudinally follow the offspring with repeated EEG, as well as behavioral measures of emotion
regulation through the first two years of life to test whether any abnormalities in brain structure or connectivity
identified at 1 month have developmental consequences. We will also examine the influence of the post-natal
family environment, monitoring parental (maternal and paternal) depression symptoms monthly, and
conducting two in-home assessments of family. These detailed longitudinal assessments will allow our study to
more definitively separate effects of medication from depression exposure, and to characterize the influence of
the family environment on gestational SSRI effects. If funded, we will form the largest cohort testing brain and
behavioral outcomes of fetal antidepressant exposure to date. Findings will be clinically informative regardless
of their direction. If we find significant brain or behavioral problems in offspring who were fetal exposed to
antidepressants, women can be directed to other medication and non-medication treatments for depression
that may be safer for mother and child. And if we find no adverse effects, then this will provide reassurance for
the safe use of SSRIs, and potentially increase compliance as well.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10093133
- **Project number:** 5R01MH119510-03
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathan E Posner
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $612,599
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-03-08 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10093133

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10093133, Effects of prenatal maternal depression and antidepressant exposures on offspring neurodevelopmental trajectories: A birth cohort study (5R01MH119510-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10093133. Licensed CC0.

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