Neuroimaging Markers of Affective Processing in Postpartum Depression Among Nigerian Women: An fMRI Study at LASUTH

Postpartum depression (PPD) involves profound dysregulation of affective processing, yet functional neuroimaging evidence on the neural substrates of PPD from sub-Saharan African populations is non-existent. This study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine affective processing neural markers in postpartum depression among Nigerian women at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), South West Nigeria. A case-control design will recruit 30 women with PPD (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score above 12) and 30 matched postpartum controls within 12 weeks of delivery. Participants will undergo blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI while completing the Emotional Face Matching paradigm and the Infant Cry Paradigm to assess maternal affective responsiveness. Primary regions of interest will include the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and insula. Diffusion tensor imaging will assess structural connectivity between affective circuits. PPD severity will be correlated with BOLD activation indices. This study represents an original and pioneering neuroimaging investigation of PPD in an African population, generating mechanistic insight into disorder neurobiology and identifying candidate neuroimaging biomarkers. Findings will advance the global scientific understanding of the neural basis of perinatal affective disorders. Keywords: postpartum depression, fMRI, affective processing, LASUTH, neuroimaging