Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41603064›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental psychobiology2026

Maternal Milk Allopregnanolone May Buffer Negative Associations Between Maternal Postpartum Psychological Distress and Infant Regulatory Capacity.

Denise M Werchan, Bradley Susskind, Rebecca Carpio, Brittany R Howell, Natalie H Brito, Moriah E Thomason

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental psychobiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Denise M WerchanDepartment of Psychology, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Bradley SusskindDepartment of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone, New York, New York, USA.
Rebecca CarpioFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
Brittany R HowellFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
Natalie H BritoDepartment of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
Moriah E ThomasonDepartment of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone, New York, New York, USA.

Funding

“Overlapping and Discrete Pathways Through Which Prenatal Isolation and Uncertainty Stress Impact Maternal Mental Health and Child NeurodevelopmentR01MH126468 · NIMH · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI BRITO, NATALIE HIROMI, THOMASON, MORIAH E · 2021 to 2024
$3.0M
Investigating neurobehavioral consequences of COVID-19 related stressors on maternal mental health and infant developmentR01MH125870 · NIMH · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · PI BRITO, NATALIE HIROMI, THOMASON, MORIAH E · 2021 to 2024
$2.9M
Brain and Behavior Research FoundationNIMH NIH HHS R01 MH125870NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH126468Society for Research in Child Development
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy and the early postpartum period is a risk factor for dysregulated affective and regulatory function in young infants. Animal models suggest that perinatal stress may alter offspring development via allopregnanolone (ALLO) exposure. For example, variations in placentally derived ALLO in preterm infants have been linked with altered fetal neurodevelopment. However, no studies have investigated naturalistic variations in ALLO concentrations in maternal milk as a potential moderator of associations between maternal distress and infant temperament during the postnatal period. The current study assesses associations among ALLO concentrations in human milk, maternal psychological distress, and infant temperament in 81 mother-infant dyads (31 females) measured at approximately 6.5 months postpartum (M = 6.55 months, range = 5.5-8 months). Results indicated that human milk ALLO concentration moderated effects of maternal psychological distress on infant regulatory capacity. Specifically, there was a negative association between maternal psychological distress and regulatory capacity in infants of mothers with below-mean ALLO concentrations, but not in infants of mothers with above-mean ALLO concentrations. However, there were no effects of ALLO on infant negative affect or surgency/positive affect. This study provides some of the first preliminary evidence that ALLO concentrations in human milk may moderate associations between maternal psychological distress and infant regulatory capacity.

Indexed as

Infant BehaviorMilk, HumanPostpartum PeriodPregnanolonePsychological DistressStress, PsychologicalTemperamentAdultFemaleHumansInfantMalePregnancyYoung AdultPregnanolone

Identifiers

PMID41603064
PMCPMC12848642

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.