Talk Therapy for Pregnant Women May Shape Infant Brain Development, Study Finds

A randomized trial of 234 pregnant women with depression showed that an eight‑session brief interpersonal psychotherapy called MOMCare reduced maternal depression from 36 % to 6 % and increased the likelihood of full‑term birth. Newborns whose mothers received MOMCare had hippocampi that were 5 % smaller in volume than those whose mothers received standard mental‑health education. Six months later, infants with smaller hippocampi displayed less negative emotional responses to unfamiliar stimuli, suggesting better early emotional regulation. The study is the first to link prenatal depression treatment with measurable changes in infant brain structure and behavior, and researchers plan to follow the children into early childhood to assess long‑term effects.