People with mirror-touch synaesthesia (MTS) report tactile sensations on their own body when seeing another person being touched. Although this has been associated with heightened empathy and emotion perception, this finding has been disputed. Here, we conduct two experiments to explore this relationship further. In Experiment 1, we develop a new screening measure for MTS. We show that MTS is related to vicarious experiences more generally, but is not a simple exaggerated version of normality. For example, people with MTS report videos of scratching as "touch" rather than "itchiness" and have localized sensations when watching others in pain. In Experiment 2, we show that MTS is related to increased emotional empathy to others and better ability to read facial expressions of emotion, but other measures of empathy are normal. In terms of theoretical models, we propose that this is more consistent with a qualitative difference in the ability to selectively inhibit the other and attend to the self.

Background Self-guided internet-based interventions have several advantages over guided interventions and are generally effective in treating psychiatric symptoms. Objective We aimed to investigate whether the use of a new self-guided internet-based intervention (MOOD) would lead to a significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared with a care-as-usual (CAU) control group in a sample of individuals with depressive symptoms, most of whom had already used a different self-guided internet-based intervention in a previous trial. Methods A total of 125 individuals were randomized to the intervention condition (MOOD) and received access to the intervention for a period of six weeks or a CAU group. After six weeks, all participants were invited to take part in the post assessment. The Beck Depression Inventory-II served as the primary outcome. Results Both intention-to-treat as well as per-protocol analyses indicated that the depressive symptomatology decreased in both conditions but showed no advantage for those who had used MOOD. Subsequent moderation analyses suggested that those individuals who had less experience with psychotherapy benefitted to a greater extent compared with those with more experience. Conclusions Self-guided internet-based interventions are deemed a suitable first-step approach to the treatment of depression. However, our results indicate that they are more efficacious in those with less psychotherapy experience. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03795480; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03795480

Postpartum depression (PPD) and adjustment disorder (AD) affect up to 25% of women after childbirth. However, there are no accurate screening tools for either disorder to identify at-risk mothers and enable them to benefit from early intervention. Combinations of anamnestic, clinical, and remote assessments were evaluated for an early and accurate identification of PPD and AD. Two cohorts of mothers giving birth were included in the study (N = 308 and N = 193). At baseline, participants underwent a detailed sociodemographic-anamnestic and clinical interview. Remote assessments were collected over 12 weeks comprising mood and stress levels as well as depression and attachment scores. At 12 weeks postpartum, an experienced clinician assigned the participants to three distinct groups: women with PPD, women with AD, and healthy controls (HC). Combinations of these assessments were assessed for an early an accurate detection of PPD and AD in the first cohort and, after pre-registration, validated in a prospective second cohort. Combinations of postnatal depression, attachment (for AD) and mood scores at week 3 achieved balanced accuracies of 93 and 79% for differentiation of PPD and AD from HC in the validation cohort and balanced accuracies of 87 and 91% in the first cohort. Differentiation between AD and PPD, with a balanced accuracy of 73% was possible at week 6 based on mood levels only with a balanced accuracy of 73% in the validation cohort and a balanced accuracy of 76% in the first cohort. Combinations of in clinic and remote self-assessments allow for early and accurate detection of PPD and AD as early as three weeks postpartum, enabling early intervention to the benefit of both mothers and children.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is highly prevalent among pregnant women. In the present study, a neurological–obstetrical sample of 561 postpartum women was retrospectively screened for RLS symptoms during pregnancy and in the first 12 weeks postpartum. The first screening took place within 1 to 6 days of delivery (T0) and the second 12 weeks after childbirth (T1). The pregnancy-related RLS prevalence rate was found to be 21% (n = 119), with the women suffering from RLS being more often affected by psychiatric history and having been more exposed to stressful life events. They were also found to have experienced baby blues more frequently shortly after childbirth. However, RLS in pregnancy did not appear to have any effect on the development of postpartum depression. Additionally, a positive trend was observed toward an association between pregnancy-related RLS and gestational diabetes and hypertension. Of the 119 women, 23 (19.3%) remained affected by RLS 12 weeks postpartum. Body mass index (BMI), weight gain, parity, childbearing history, or chronic stress exposure in pregnancy as measured by hair cortisol were not found to be linked to RLS. In summary, a comprehensive understanding of the interaction of clinical, environmental, and anamnestic factors can help shed valuable light on this pregnancy-related condition.

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 1 in 10 women after childbirth. A thorough understanding of a preexisting vulnerability to PPD will likely aid the early detection and treatment of PPD. Using a within-sample association, the study examined whether the brain’s structural and functional alterations predict the onset of depression. 157 euthymic postpartum women were subjected to a multimodal MRI scan within the first 6 days of childbirth and were followed up for 12 weeks. Based on a clinical interview 12 weeks postpartum, participants were classified as mentally healthy or having either PPD or adjustment disorder (AD). Voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity comparisons were performed between the three groups. 13.4% of women in our study developed PPD (n = 21) and 12.1% (n = 19) adjustment disorder (AD). The risk factors for PPD were a psychiatric history and the experience and severity of baby blues and the history of premenstrual syndrome. Despite the different risk profiles, no differences between the PPD, AD and control group were apparent based on structural and functional neuroimaging data immediately after childbirth. At 12 weeks postpartum, a significant association was observed between Integrated Local Correlation (LCor) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS). Our findings do not support the notion that the brain’s structural and resting-state functional alterations, if present, can be used as an early biomarker of PPD or AD. However, effects may become apparent if continuous measures of symptom severity are chosen.