# SSRI Exposure and Ventricular Development from Bench to Bedside: A Prospective Study to Determine if Maternal Depression Treatment Impacts Offspring Cardiac Development

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2022 · $356,703

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The broad goal of this translational study is to determine if maternal depression treatment affects
ventricular development through comprehensive echocardiography measurements immediately after
birth and over time. The decision to medically treat maternal depression is challenging and includes
careful consideration of the risks versus benefits. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a
class of antidepressants currently prescribed to 10-13% of pregnant women. Interpersonal
psychotherapy (IPT) is an alternative non-pharmacologic treatment that has shown efficacy in mild to
severe depression. Treatment of maternal depression is not only critical for the health of the mother
and fetus but may impact overall health as research has shown that a deleterious intrauterine
environment can predispose individuals to cardiovascular disease. To date, we have demonstrated
both short- and long-term effects from SSRI exposure on ventricular size and cardiac function in mice
and zebrafish where maternal depression is eliminated as a contributing factor. Epidemiologic reports
continue to be conflicting if SSRIs influence cardiac development and maternal depression remains a
confounding factor. Thus, it is critical to determine if these ventricular findings after SSRI exposure in
animal models translate to humans and if similar findings are noted with non-pharmacologic treatment
for maternal depression. To address these issues, a collaborative team of experts in pediatrics
(neonatal hemodynamics, cardiology, and cardiac critical care) and psychiatry will recruit mothers
without depression and with maternal depression treated with SSRIs or IPT and their offspring. We will
apply advanced echocardiography techniques which have been validated in the newborn and pediatric
populations to pursue two specific aims: (1) Measure the impact of maternal depression and its
treatment on offspring ventricular size immediately after birth, at 1 week, and at 1 year of age; and (2)
Quantify the impact of maternal depression and its treatment on offspring ventricular function following
birth, at 1 week, and at 1 year of age. Because heart size and ventricular function are important
predictors of outcomes in many adult and pediatric diseases, this study will provide important answers
to a timely, highly-relevant clinical question.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10404595
- **Project number:** 5R01HL146363-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah Elizabeth Haskell
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $356,703
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10404595

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10404595, SSRI Exposure and Ventricular Development from Bench to Bedside: A Prospective Study to Determine if Maternal Depression Treatment Impacts Offspring Cardiac Development (5R01HL146363-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10404595. Licensed CC0.

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