Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of using fMRI to measure pain responses in women with and without postpartum depression

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2025 Aug 8;353:112042. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.112042. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Little is known about differences in pain perception among depressed versus non-depressed postpartum women. This novel study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of enrolling non-depressed and depressed postpartum women in a laboratory-induced pain study using fMRI. Eleven non-depressed and two depressed postpartum women participated in a cold pain-induced experiment using fMRI. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed. Brain activation of the pain-associated regions of interest was measured. Participants provided subjective pain ratings (i.e., intensity and unpleasantness). The results indicated that enrolling postpartum women in a laboratory-induced pain study using fMRI is feasible. Participants found the study acceptable. The findings showed that the study’s pain device activated the amygdala and insula in the non-depressed group, with activation in the anterior cingulate cortex being marginally significant. Exploratory analyses of differences in brain activation by depression status were not statistically significant. There was a significant and positive association between depressive symptoms and pain unpleasantness. Subjective pain ratings differed by depression status but were not statistically significant. This study showed that conducting a pain experiment using fMRI with postpartum women is feasible and acceptable. Future research should include a larger sample to confirm findings and investigate the impact of depression on pain responses.

PMID:40850021 | DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.112042