Mother–baby emotional and brain synchrony after birth
Official title: Mother-Infant Biobehavioral Synchrony and Postpartum Depression
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11234244 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how mothers with postpartum depression and their infants share emotions and brain activity to learn what supports healthy emotional development.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2023 |
| Project end | October 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $783,234 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH129308-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11234244 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are mothers experiencing postpartum depression and their infants in the first months of life who can attend testing visits in Pittsburgh.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not current postpartum mothers, whose children are beyond infancy, or who cannot travel to the study site are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will record you and your baby's interactions in the first months after birth while measuring both of your brain signals using a portable near-infrared system that can scan two people at once (hyperscanning). They'll focus on moments of shared positive emotion and mutually responsive behavior and follow families over time to track changes in co-regulation and depression symptoms. The team will combine behavior observations, parent reports, and brain synchrony data to map how postpartum depression might change these processes. Results are intended to point to targets for early, strength-based interventions that support mothers and infants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to support mother-infant emotional syncing and help prevent long-term emotional problems in children of mothers with postpartum depression.
How similar studies have gone: Prior small studies and proof-of-concept work show mother-infant brain synchrony can be measured, but applying portable NIRS hyperscanning longitudinally in postpartum depression is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Morgan, Judith K. — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Morgan, Judith K.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Group-based postpartum depression prevention: in-person vs. virtual delivery
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-
Postpartum depression screening at well-child visits in Arkansas
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-
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-
Trajectories of Positive Motivation and Postpartum Depression Risk
This project studies how brain reward function and daily mood patterns before and after birth relate to the risk of postpartum depression, with a focus on mothers and babies.
-
ROSE Scale-Up: Expanding universal postpartum depression prevention for new mothers
A national effort to roll out the ROSE prevention program to all new mothers, to see if universal use can reduce postpartum depression.
-
How Medicaid Postpartum Coverage and PPD Screening Could Improve Diabetes and Blood Pressure Care After Birth
A large NIH grant is studying how extending Medicaid after birth and mandating postpartum depression screening affect care for women with gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related high blood pressure.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.