{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T23:39:39Z","timestamp":1782949179645,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":95,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,1]],"date-time":"2026-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769904000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Peripartum depression (PPD) represents one of the most prevalent and disabling psychiatric conditions among women, yet its underlying biology remains poorly integrated across medical disciplines. Emerging evidence highlights PPD as a prototypical disorder of the heart\u2013brain axis, where neuroendocrine changes, immune activation, and cardiovascular dysregulation converge to shape maternal vulnerability. During pregnancy and the postpartum period, abrupt fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone (P4), and placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) interact with a sensitized hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal (HPA) axis, altering neural circuits involved in mood regulation, stress reactivity, and maternal behavior. Parallel cardiovascular adaptations, including endothelial dysfunction, altered blood pressure variability, and reduced heart rate variability (HRV), suggest a profound perturbation of autonomic balance with potential long-term implications for maternal cardiovascular health. Neuroinflammation, microglial activation, and systemic cytokine release further mediate the bidirectional communication between the heart and the brain, linking emotional dysregulation with vascular and autonomic instability. Evidence also indicates that conditions such as preeclampsia and peripartum cardiomyopathy share biological pathways with PPD, reinforcing the concept of a unified pathophysiological axis. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the neurobiological, cardiovascular, endocrine, and inflammatory mechanisms connecting PPD to maternal heart\u2013brain health, while discussing emerging biomarkers and therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring integrative physiology. Understanding PPD as a multisystem heart\u2013brain disorder offers a transformative perspective for early detection, risk stratification, and personalized intervention during one of the most biologically vulnerable periods of a woman\u2019s life.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16020236","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T12:00:47Z","timestamp":1770033647000},"page":"236","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Peripartum Depression as a Heart\u2013Brain\u2013Endocrine\u2013Immune Syndrome: Neuroendocrine, Cardiovascular, and Inflammatory Pathways Underlying Maternal Vulnerability"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7058-4927","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Marano","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Head-Neck and Chest, Section of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3007-8162","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marianna","family":"Mazza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Head-Neck and Chest, Section of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Universit\u00e0 Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1775","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(14)61276-9","article-title":"Non-psychotic mental disorders in the perinatal period","volume":"384","author":"Howard","year":"2014","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"86","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2017.05.003","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-regression of the prevalence and incidence of perinatal depression","volume":"219","author":"Woody","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. 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