MOTHERS

The project addresses psychobiological mechanisms leading to peripartum mental disorders. It focuses on one key risk factor for psychopathology, which is poor sleep continuity. The project adopts a multidisciplinary synergistic approach combining a clinical team and a preclinical team in the attempt to: describe the link between maternal poor sleep quality and the cascade of events which may enhance vulnerability to stress and risk for mental disorders; unravel molecular mechanisms underlying this relationship and their inter-generational persistence; evaluate the efficacy in preventing these negative outcomes of specific psychological prenatal interventions.

From basic-research perspective, long-term consequences of poor maternal sleep on adult sleep phenotypes will be described exploring epigenetic mechanisms at the base of this relationship and validating peripheral biomarkers for early-life stress exposure. From clinical-research perspective, longitudinal psychobiological associations between sleep and mental health related variables will be evaluated from early pregnancy to 6-months post-partum in women with insomnia symptoms compared to good sleepers. A target preventive intervention directed to improve sleep and prevent peripartum psychopathology will be tested in a randomized controlled trial in women with insomnia symptoms without psychiatric comorbidity. Genetic, biological, physiological and psychological psychotherapy-related outcomes will be evaluated. Attention to dynamic influences between family members will be dedicated.

The project has several potential applications, including: development of a translational model describing how sleep during pregnancy affects stress adaptation and depression during post-partum in women and female mice; demonstration of long-term negative impact of antenatal stress conditions in maternal health care; establishment of new ecological assessments of sleep problems in real life for both research and clinical purposes; promotion of innovative preventing interventions targeting sleep quality for depression and anxiety outcome in pregnant women complaining insomnia; identification and validation of new and easily applicable biomarkers of maternal poor sleep quality.