Blood test breakthrough: Revolutionizing postpartum depression

Baltimore, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) - The birth of your baby is supposed to be one of the most joyous moments of a new mom's life, but for one in seven new mothers, it's a time that can be filled with sadness, loneliness, and a detachment from their newborn.

Postpartum depression can result in suicide and impact a baby's cognitive, emotional and social development. There's no test for it. It's diagnosed by observation and often treated with talk therapy and antidepressants. But now, a new blood test could revolutionize how it's diagnosed and treated.

Baby Mave is Brooke Wiesner's third and youngest child. And although she loves her with her whole heart now — after her birth, Brooke struggled with dark thoughts.

"I didn't feel about her, like the way I felt like I should have felt about her. It was all I could do to get out of bed. I was having some pretty significant like, suicidal ideations," Wiesner said.

It took months for Wiesner to get diagnosed. She was prescribed antidepressants, but nothing worked. That's why researchers at Johns Hopkins are developing a first of its kind blood test that could help women like Brooke get diagnosed even before she gives birth.

"One of the things that we're trying to do is, trying to figure out is, who's going to get sick and when they're going to get sick," said Sarven Sabunciyan, PhD, associate professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Using blood samples, researchers found tiny sacs called Extracellular Vesicles or EVs that carry genetic material from the brain.

"What we're finding is that these extracellular vesicles are releasing things ... it looks like RNA's from the brain," Sabunciyan said.

Abnormal levels of these specific RNA molecules are linked to brain disorders like postpartum depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and addiction. Scientists believe these molecules are the biological markers they need to identify these conditions earlier than ever before.

"If we can figure out which people are going to respond to what drugs is that'd be a big deal." Sabunciyan said.

Treating new moms like Wiesner, even before their little ones are born.

The scientists warn that the findings about depression might only apply to postpartum depression because they studied only women. In the future, researchers plan to use lab-grown brain cells to find similar markers for autism spectrum disorder.