Source:
https://neurosciencenews.com/pregnancy-brain-gray-matter-28367/Dated: January 17, 2025
Summary: Pregnancy leads to a 4.9% reduction in gray matter volume in 94% of the brain, with partial recovery postpartum, primarily in regions tied to social cognition. A groundbreaking neuroimaging study analyzed brain changes in 179 women, including non-gestational mothers, revealing that these changes are biologically driven by pregnancy hormones rather than the experience of motherhood.
Key Facts:Gray Matter Reduction: Pregnancy reduces brain gray matter volume by 4.9%,Regarding the attached image -- The research shows that there is a reduction and partial recovery of almost 5% of grey matter in 94% of the total grey matter volume of the brain, especially in regions linked to social cognition.
with partial recovery postpartum.
Hormonal Influence: Brain changes are linked to fluctuations in pregnancy-specific hormones, estriol-3-sulfate and estrone-sulfate.
Maternal Bonding: Greater postpartum gray matter recovery is associated with stronger maternal-infant bonding and well-being.
They were able to deeply analyze the brains of women during pregnancy for the first time using neuroimaging techniques !
The study included non-pregnant mothers, whose partners were pregnant, to distinguish biological effects from those caused by the experience of being a mother.
The research shows that there is a reduction and partial recovery of almost 5% of grey matter in 94% of the total grey matter volume of the brain, especially in regions linked to social cognition.
Hormonal fluctuations in estriol-3-sulfate and estrone-sulfate correlate with gray matter changes, and postpartum recovery is linked to stronger maternal-infant bonding. This research sets a vital benchmark for understanding the maternal brain and its implications for maternal mental health.
Their method:In total, the researchers have analyzed the brain of 179 women to study the structural changes that occur during the second and third trimester of pregnancy and the first six months postpartum, using a scan taken before conception as a baseline.
For the first time, this cohort includes a group of non-gestational mothers as a control group: women whose partners underwent pregnancy during the study.
The inclusion of this group of women made it possible to determine that the trajectory of brain changes is mainly attributed to the biological process of pregnancy, rather than to the experience of becoming a mother.
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Regarding the attached image -- The research shows that there is a reduction and partial recovery of almost 5% of grey matter in 94% of the total grey matter volume of the brain, especially in regions linked to social cognition ⬇️.