Depression during pregnancy affects baby's mental development, research

A recently published study has shown that mothers who suffer from anxiety, depression, and stress during pregnancy are affected later in the cognitive development of their children.

In a study by experts, based on magnetic resonance imaging scans of the children's brains, mothers who reported stress during pregnancy had evidence of negative effects on the hippocampus, the brain region of their children. 

According to experts, the hippocampus helps the brain acquire information and control memory. The research also found the left hippocampus to be associated with psychiatric illness.

Babies who were still fetuses in the womb showed changes in the volume of their left hippocampus that explained the brain development problems seen after birth, the researchers said.

According to researchers, after birth, these children continue to experience social and emotional problems and may also have difficulty forming positive relationships with others, including their mothers.