Brexanolone For Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious and debilitating condition that is characterized by a major depressive episode temporally and pathophysiologically related to pregnancy. It is similar to other forms of depression and characterized by sadness and/or anhedonia and may present with symptoms such as cognitive impairment, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, or suicidal ideation. Brexanolone is chemically similar to the endogenous hormone allopregnanolone, which is a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA (γ aminobutyric acid-ligand gated chloride channel) receptors. The level of endogenous allopregnanolone increases during pregnancy, reaches a peak during the third trimester but falls abruptly after delivery. It is hypothesized that a one-time administration of brexanolone infusion ameliorates symptoms of PPD via positive allosteric modulation of both synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA receptors.