Brain Structural Plasticity Associated with Maternal Caregiving in Mothers: A Voxel- and Surface-Based Morphometry...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Pregnancy and childbirth induce significant physiological and psychological changes in women.
• Previous functional neuroimaging studies revealed longitudinal changes in maternal brain activity in response to infant stimuli.
• Structural brain changes in mothers post-delivery remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate structural brain alterations in mothers during the postpartum period.
• To identify specific brain regions and tissue types (gray matter, white matter) affected by motherhood.
• To explore the relationship between structural brain changes and maternal empathy.

Main Methods:

• Voxel-based and surface-based morphometry analysis.
• Recruitment of 35 primiparous mothers and 26 nonmothers.
• Longitudinal assessment with 22 mothers scanned twice over approximately 2 years.

Main Results:

• Mothers showed reduced gray matter and increased white matter volumes in empathy and reward networks (e.g., supplementary motor area, insula).
• Decreased cortical thickness in the precentral gyrus and increased gyrification in the orbitofrontal cortex were observed in mothers.
• Longitudinal changes in gray/white matter and cortical thickness were noted in maternal brain networks, correlating with empathy changes.

Conclusions:

• Maternal brains exhibit adaptive structural plasticity post-childbirth.
• These findings provide a neuroanatomical basis for understanding maternal emotional processing.
• Structural brain changes support the neurobiological adaptations to motherhood.