Postpartum depression: A systematic review of the genetics involved

Table 1 Genes and polymorphisms associated with postpartum depression

Article	Ref.	Country	Instrument	Genes	Polymorphisms
CYP2D6 genotypes and depressive symptoms during late pregnancy and postpartum	Josefsson et al[53]	Sweden	EPDS	CYP2D6	CYP2D6*1 (wild type), CYP2D6*3, CYP2D6*4
Association of tryptophan hydroxylase gene polymorphism with depression, anxiety and comorbid depression and anxiety in a population-based sample of postpartum Taiwanese women	Sun et al[60]	China	SADS	TPH1	T3840A, A12517C, A20004C, G347T, T27224C
Mood changes after delivery: role of the serotonin transporter gene	Sanjuan et al[58]	Spain	EPDS/DIGS	5HTT	5HTTLPR, STin2 VNTR
The development of peripartum depressive symptoms is associated with gene polymorphisms of MAOA, 5-HTT and COMT	Doornbos et al[52]	Netherland	EPDS	MAOA, 5HTT, COMT	MAOA , 5HTTLPR, COMT Val158Met
Population-specific functional variant of the TPH2 gene 2755C>A polymorphism contributes risk association to major depression and anxiety in Chinese peripartum women	Lin et al[55]	China	SADS	TPH2	T-703G, T-473A, A90G, C2755A, C10662T, G93329A
Genome-wide linkage and follow-up association study of postpartum mood symptoms	Mahon et al[64]	United States	DIGS		417 microsatellite markers in linkage studies / 16.916 SNPs in the 1 and 9 chromosomes for GWAS.
Blood mononuclear cell gene expression signature of postpartum depression	Segman et al[59]	Israel	EPDS	PBMC gene expression	3142 active transcripts set
A serotonin transporter gene polymorphism predicts peripartum depressive symptoms in an at-risk psychiatric cohort	Binder et al[49]	United States	SCID/HRSD-17	5HTT	5HTTLPR
Association study of 44 candidate genes with depressive and anxiety symptoms in post-partum women	Costas et al[51]	Spain	EPDS/DIGS	44 genes involved in pathways hipothetically related to the etiology of postpartum mood disorders: HPA axis, effects of stress in the prefrontal cortex, and regulation of sex hormones	388 SNPs
An association study between the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene and postpartum depression	Figueira et al[47]	Brazil	EPDS	BDNF	BDNF Val66Met
Postpartum depression symptoms: a case-control study on monoaminergic functional polymorphisms and environmental stressors	Comasco et al[50]	Sweden	EPDS	COMT, MAOA, 5HTT	COMT Val158Met, MAOA uVTNR, 5HTTLPR.
Role of mother’s genes and environment in postpartum depression	Mitchell et al[57]	United States	CIDI-SF	5HTT	5HTTLPR , STin2 VNTR
Postpartum depressive symptoms and the BDNF Val66Met functional polymorphism: effect of season of delivery	Comasco et al[50]	Sweden	EPDS	BDNF, 5HTT, PER2	BDNF Val66Met, PER2 SNP 10870 (G and A), 5HTTPLR (L and S)
Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy may protect against depression 21 months after pregnancy, an effect modified by MTHFR C677T genotype	Lewis et al[54]	England	EPDS	MTHFR	C677T
The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism modulates the influence on environmental stressors on peripartum depression symptoms	Mehta et al[56]	Germany	EPDS	5HTT	5HTTLPR
Genetic variants in the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene (TPH2) and depression during and after pregnancy	Fasching et al[61]	Germany	EPDS	TPH2	rs11178993, rs6582071, rs11178997, rs7955501, rs17110536, rs4760814, rs7300641, rs4760820, rs10879354, rs1487275, rs10879358, rs11615016, rs17110747, rs1872824
Postpartum depression symptoms associated with Val158Met COMT polymorphism	Alvim-Soares et al[62]	Brazil	EPDS	COMT	COMT Val158Met
Interaction between oxytocin genotypes and early experience predicts quality of mothering and postpartum mood	Mileva-Seitz et al[63]	Canada	CES-D	OXT, OXTR	OXT: rs2740210, rs4813627/ OXTR: rs237885
Association of glucocorticoid and type 1 corticotropin-releasing hormone receptors gene variants and risk for depression during pregnancy and post-partum	Engineer et al[65]	United Kingdom	EPDS	GR, CRHR1	GR: BclI, ER22/23EK/CRHR1: s1876828, rs242939, rs242941
Association study of the estrogen receptor gene ESR1 with postpartum depression - a pilot study	Pinsonneault et al[66]	Canada	MINI, SCID, EPDS and/or MADRS	ESR1, COMT, TPH2, DRD2, HTR2A, DAT, MAOA, 5HTT	ESR1: TA repeat, rs2077647, rs1801132, rs3798577, rs988328, rs1884051, rs3020327, rs9340958, rs3020434/HTR2A: rs6314, rs6311/DAT: rs27072, rs6347, In8VNTR/5HTTLPR/MAOA: rs1137070, pVNTR/TPH2: rs7305115 / DRD2: rs2283265 / COMT: rs4680

EPDS: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; SADS: Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia; DIGS: Diagnostic Interview for Genetics Studies; SCID: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV; HRSD-17: 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; CIDI-SF: Composite International Diagnostic Interview-short form; CES-D: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; MADRS: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale; TPH: Tryptophan hydroxylase; 5HTT: Serotonin transporter; MAOA: Monoamine oxidase A; COMT: Catechol-O-methyltransferase; PBMC: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell; BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; PER2: Period circadian clock 2; MTHFR: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase; OXT: Oxytocin; OXTR: Oxytocin receptor; GR: Glucocorticoid receptor; CRHR1: Type 1 corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor; ESR1: Estrogen receptor alpha; DRD2: Dopamine receptor D2; HTR2A: Serotonin receptor 2A; DAT: Dopamine transporter.