Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure.
Elseline Hoekzema1,2,3, Erika Barba-Müller1, Cristina Pozzobon4
1Unitat de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Nature Neuroscience
|December 20, 2016
Summary
Pregnancy causes lasting changes in a mother's brain structure, specifically reducing gray matter volume. These brain changes are linked to maternal attachment and social cognition, supporting the transition to motherhood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Human Biology
Background:
- Pregnancy involves significant hormonal and biological shifts.
- The impact of pregnancy on the adult human brain remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural changes in the brain during and after pregnancy.
- To determine if pregnancy affects brain regions involved in social cognition and maternal behavior.
Main Methods:
- A prospective longitudinal study comparing first-time mothers and fathers to nulliparous controls.
- Utilized neuroimaging techniques to assess gray matter (GM) volume changes before and after pregnancy.
Main Results:
- Pregnancy led to significant reductions in gray matter (GM) volume in mothers, particularly in social cognition-related areas.
- These GM volume reductions were selective to mothers, highly consistent, and predicted postpartum maternal attachment.
- The observed brain changes persisted for at least two years postpartum.
Conclusions:
- Pregnancy induces substantial and enduring structural changes in the female brain.
- These neuroanatomical alterations appear to be an adaptive process facilitating the transition to motherhood and maternal bonding.
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