Baltimore, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – The birth of your baby is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in a new mother’s life, but for one in seven new mothers, it’s a time that can be filled with sadness, loneliness, and a detachment from new- their born Postpartum depression can lead to suicide and affect the cognitive, emotional and social development of the baby. There is no test for this. It is diagnosed by observation and often treated with talk therapy and antidepressants. But now, a new blood test could revolutionize the way it’s diagnosed and treated.

Baby Mave is Brooke Wiesner’s third and youngest child. And although she loves her with all her heart now, after giving birth, Brooke has struggled with dark thoughts.

“I didn’t feel for her the way I felt I should have felt for her. It was all I could do to get out of bed. I had some pretty significant suicidal ideation,” Brooke said.

It took months for Brooke to be diagnosed. He was prescribed anti-depressants, but nothing worked. That’s why Johns Hopkins researchers are developing a first-of-its-kind blood test that could help women like Brooke get diagnosed before they even give birth.

“One of the things we’re trying to do is try to figure out who’s going to get sick and when they’re going to get sick,” said Sarven Sabunciyan, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins. University Faculty of Medicine.

Using blood samples, the researchers discovered tiny sacs called extracellular vesicles, or EVs, that carry genetic material from the brain.

“What we’re finding is that these extracellular vesicles are releasing things … it looks like the RNA is coming from the brain,” Sabunciyan said.

Abnormal levels of these specific RNA molecules are linked to brain disorders such as postpartum depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy and addiction. Scientists believe these molecules are the biological markers they need to identify these conditions earlier than ever before.

“If we can figure out which people will respond to which drug it is, that would be a big deal,” Sabunciyan said.

The scientists caution that the depression findings might only apply to postpartum depression because they only studied women. In the future, the researchers plan to use lab-grown brain cells to find similar markers for autism spectrum disorder.

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