Oxytocin Dysfunction Seen in Both Depressed Moms and Kids

A dysfunctional oxytocin system may underpin the long-term harmful effects of maternal depression on child development, suggesting a potential for oxytocin-based interventions, researchers say.

"Infants of depressed mothers have long-lasting difficulties both in general and specifically in social and emotional outcomes, such as social engagement with others, the capacity for empathy, which underpin the capacity for intimacy," Ruth Feldman, PhD, psychology professor at Ban-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, who worked on the study, told Medscape Medical News.