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Neuroscientist Liz Crostill had the unique opportunity to observe how her brain changes during pregnancy and shared what she learned in a new study that presents the first detailed map of a woman’s brain during pregnancy.
The researchers found that the transition to motherhood affects nearly every part of the brain.
Although the study involved just one person, it has sparked a larger international research project that aims to scan the brains of hundreds of women and could one day provide clues to disorders such as postpartum depression.
“It’s been a very long journey,” said Crostill, co-author of the paper published Monday in Nature Neuroscience. “We did 26 scans before, during and after pregnancy” and “found some really remarkable things.”
Also read: Are you pregnant? Follow these 8 easy steps to have an intelligent baby
More than 80% of the regions studied showed a decrease in gray matter volume, where thinking occurs. That’s about 4% of the brain on average — roughly the same as the loss that occurs during puberty. Although less gray matter might sound bad, the researchers said it’s probably not all that bad; it probably reflects the fine tuning of networks of interconnected nerve cells called “neural circuits” in preparation for a new stage of life.
The team began tracking Krastill — who works at the University of California, Irvine, and was 38 at the time — shortly before she became pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
Throughout the pregnancy and for two years after the baby was born, they continued to do MRI brain scans and draw blood to see how her brain changed as sex hormones, such as estrogen, fluctuated. Some of the changes continued even after pregnancy.
Also read: Exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy affects brain development: Study
“Previous studies have imaged the brain before and after pregnancy, but we had never seen the brain go through this metamorphosis,” said co-author Emily Jacobs of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Brain changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period
Unlike previous studies, this one focused on several inner regions of the brain as well as the outermost layer, the cerebral cortex, said Joseph Lonstein, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Michigan State University who was not involved in the research. “This is a good first step to understanding more about the whole-brain changes that occur in a woman during pregnancy and after childbirth,” he said.
Animal research has linked some of the brain changes to qualities that might be helpful when caring for a baby. Although the new study doesn’t explain what these changes mean in terms of human behavior, Lonstein said it describes changes in brain regions associated with social cognition, or how people interact with others and understand their thoughts and feelings, for example.
The researchers have partners in Spain and are moving forward with the larger Maternal Brain Project, supported by the Ann S. Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Eventually, she hopes scientists will be able to use data from large numbers of women to do things like predict postpartum depression.
“There’s a lot about the neurobiology of pregnancy that we don’t yet understand, and it’s not because women are so complicated. It’s not because pregnancy is some Gordian knot,” Jacobs said. “It’s a byproduct of the fact that biomedical science has historically ignored women’s health.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor for any questions about any medical condition.
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