Developing small molecules as a neurosteroid replacement strategy for treating postpartum psychosis

After giving birth, some women have the rapid onset of a severe mental health condition, postpartum psychosis, with mood symptoms, hallucinations and delusions. Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency due to the risk to both mother and child. During pregnancy there is an increase in circulating hormones called neurosteroids and these enter the brain and change the function of proteins called GABAARs. In order to adapt, the brain reduces the amount of these proteins but following the rapid drop of neurosteroids after birth, the GABAARs cannot recover to their pre-pregnancy levels quickly enough and therefore normal brain function is compromised, triggering postpartum psychosis. Our aim is to identify a synthetic neuroactive steroid that can compensate for the postpartum loss of natural neurosteroids and thereby reduce the symptoms in affected mothers and also prevent episodes in woman at high risk. This will be of enormous benefit to women and their families.