Improvement in Infant Brain Function by Treating Postpartum Depression by Anjanee Sharma on January 21, 2021 at 4:22 PM Treatment of mothers with postpartum depression using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) led to adaptive changes in the brains and the behavior of their infants. The nervous and cardiovascular systems of the infants were observed to have healthy changes, and both mother and father reported that the infants were able to better regulate their emotions and behavior. Senior author Ryan Van Lieshout states "In fact, we found that after their moms were treated that their infant's brain activity normalized to the levels seen in our healthy infants." He continues that it is well-known that children of mothers with postpartum depression have changes in brain functioning that increase the risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems in the future. Whether treatment of the mothers could result in the reversal of these changes was not known before.