Cohort profile: the U-BIRTH study on peripartum depression and child development in Sweden.

PURPOSE: The current U-BIRTH cohort (Uppsala Birth Cohort) extends our previous cohort Biology, Affect, Stress, Imaging and Cognition (BASIC), assessing the development of children up to 11 years after birth. The U-BIRTH study aims to (1) assess the impact of exposure to peripartum mental illness on the children's development taking into account biological and environmental factors during intrauterine life and childhood; (2) identify early predictors of child neurodevelopmental and psychological problems using biophysiological, psychosocial and environmental variables available during pregnancy and early post partum. PARTICIPANTS: All mothers participating in the previous BASIC cohort are invited, and mother-child dyads recruited in the U-BIRTH study are consecutively invited to questionnaire assessments and biological sampling when the child is 18 months, 6 years and 11 years old. Data collection at 18 months (n=2882) has been completed. Consent for participation has been obtained from 1946 families of children having reached age 6 and from 698 families of children having reached age 11 years. FINDINGS TO DATE: Based on the complete data from pregnancy to 18 months post partum, peripartum mental health was significantly associated with the development of attentional control and gaze-following behaviours, which are critical to cognitive and social learning later in life. Moreover, infants of depressed mothers had an elevated risk of difficult temperament and behavioural problems compared with infants of non-depressed mothers. Analyses of biological samples showed that peripartum depression and anxiety were related to DNA methylation differences in infants. However, there were no methylation differences in relation to infants' behavioural problems at 18 months of age. FUTURE PLANS: Given that the data collection at 18 months is complete, analyses are now being undertaken. Currently, assessments for children reaching 6 and 11 years are ongoing.

Exploring gender dysphoria and related outcomes in a prospective cohort study: protocol for the Swedish Gender Dysphoria Study (SKDS).

INTRODUCTION: There has been a drastic increase in the reported number of people seeking help for gender dysphoria in many countries over the last two decades. Yet, our knowledge of gender dysphoria and related outcomes is restricted due to the lack of high-quality studies employing comprehensive approaches. This longitudinal study aims to enhance our knowledge of gender dysphoria; different aspects will be scrutinised, focusing primarily on the psychosocial and mental health outcomes, prognostic markers and, secondarily, on the underlying mechanisms for its origin. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Swedish Gender Dysphoria Study is an ongoing multicentre longitudinal cohort study with 501 registered participants with gender dysphoria who are 15 years old or older. Participants at different phases of their clinical evaluation process can enter the study, and the expected follow-up duration is three years. The study also includes a comparison group of 458 age- and county-matched individuals without gender dysphoria. Data on the core outcomes of the study, which are gender incongruence and experienced gender dysphoria, body satisfaction and satisfaction with gender-affirming treatments, as well as other relevant outcomes, including mental health, social functioning and life satisfaction, are collected via web surveys. Two different research visits, before and after starting on gender-affirming hormonal treatment (if applicable), are planned to collect respective biological and cognitive measures. Data analysis will be performed using appropriate biostatistical methods. A power analysis showed that the current sample size is big enough to analyse continuous and categorical outcomes, and participant recruitment will continue until December 2022. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethical permission for this study was obtained from the Local Ethical Review Board in Uppsala, Sweden. Results of the study will be presented at national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Dissemination will also be implemented through the Swedish Gender Dysphoria Study network in Sweden.

Predicting perinatal health outcomes using smartphone-based digital phenotyping and machine learning in a prospective Swedish cohort (Mom2B): study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Perinatal complications, such as perinatal depression and preterm birth, are major causes of morbidity and mortality for the mother and the child. Prediction of high risk can allow for early delivery of existing interventions for prevention. This ongoing study aims to use digital phenotyping data from the Mom2B smartphone application to develop models to predict women at high risk for mental and somatic complications. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: All Swedish-speaking women over 18 years, who are either pregnant or within 3 months postpartum are eligible to participate by downloading the Mom2B smartphone app. We aim to recruit at least 5000 participants with completed outcome measures. Throughout the pregnancy and within the first year postpartum, both active and passive data are collected via the app in an effort to establish a participant's digital phenotype. Active data collection consists of surveys related to participant background information, mental and physical health, lifestyle, and social circumstances, as well as voice recordings. Participants' general smartphone activity, geographical movement patterns, social media activity and cognitive patterns can be estimated through passive data collection from smartphone sensors and activity logs. The outcomes will be measured using surveys, such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and through linkage to national registers, from where information on registered clinical diagnoses and received care, including prescribed medication, can be obtained. Advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques will be applied to these multimodal data in order to develop accurate algorithms for the prediction of perinatal depression and preterm birth. In this way, earlier intervention may be possible. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (dnr: 2019/01170, with amendments), and the project fully fulfils the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements. All participants provide consent to participate and can withdraw their participation at any time. Results from this project will be disseminated in international peer-reviewed journals and presented in relevant conferences.

Physiological correlates of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an established treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, its working mechanism remains unclear. This study explored physiological correlates of eye movements during EMDR in relation to current hypotheses; distraction, conditioning, orienting response activation, and REM-like mechanisms. During EMDR therapy, fingertip temperature, heart rate, skin conductance, expiratory carbon dioxide level, and blood pulse oximeter oxygen saturation, were measured in male subjects with PTSD. The ratio between the low and high frequency components of the heart rate power spectrum (LF/HF) were computed as measures of autonomic balance. Respiratory rate was calculated from the carbon dioxide trace. Stimulation shifted the autonomic balance as indicated by decreases in heart rate, skin conductance and LF/HF-ratio, and an increased finger temperature. The breathing frequency and end-tidal carbon dioxide increased; oxygen saturation decreased during eye movements. In conclusion, eye movements during EMDR activate cholinergic and inhibit sympathetic systems. The reactivity has similarities with the pattern during REM-sleep.