The Frontier of Reproductive Psychiatry: New Treatments, New Tests, New Hope-View Presentation

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Video Summary

In this webinar, Dr. Jennifer Payne, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, discussed the frontier of reproductive psychiatry. She covered housekeeping slides and mentioned that the webinar qualifies for CME credit. Dr. Payne discussed the importance of defining reproductive depression and understanding its mechanisms, such as hormonal changes triggering mood symptoms in women. She highlighted the prevalence of depression in women during reproductive years and discussed various forms of reproductive depression, like premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postpartum depression, and perimenopausal depression. Dr. Payne also talked about the underlying biology of postpartum depression, focusing on the GABAergic hypothesis and how neuroactive steroids like allopregnanolone can impact the GABA A receptor. She mentioned the FDA-approved medications for postpartum depression, Brixenalone and Ziranalone, and their mechanisms of action. Dr. Payne explained their rapid onset of efficacy and sustained response, emphasizing the importance of treating postpartum depression for both mother and child. Additionally, she delved into epigenetic biomarkers of postpartum depression, identifying genes like HP1BP3 and TTC9B that can predict the risk of developing postpartum depression. Dr. Payne discussed the potential utility of these biomarkers in early identification and prevention of postpartum depression. Finally, she addressed questions regarding insurance coverage, drug safety, onset of action for anxiety versus depression, and the future implications of using these new medications in practice.

Keywords

reproductive psychiatry

CME credit

reproductive depression

hormonal changes

premenstrual dysphoric disorder

postpartum depression

perimenopausal depression

GABAergic hypothesis

allopregnanolone

FDA-approved medications

epigenetic biomarkers