Researchers Mapped A Mother’s Brain Changes Over The Course Of Pregnancy For The First Time, Showing The Brain Is Capable Of Remarkable Neuroplasticity Even In Adulthood
It’s well-known that pregnancy is a time of sweeping change in a mother’s life – both emotionally and physically. However, the impact of the significant hormonal shifts during pregnancy on the brain has been less understood.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara recently made major strides in this area by creating the first comprehensive map of the human brain throughout pregnancy.
Yes, past studies have captured the brain’s state both before and after pregnancy. Yet, according to Laura Pritschet, the study’s lead author, the pregnant brain had never been seen in the middle of this transformative process.
“We wanted to look at the trajectory of brain changes specifically within the gestational window,” she said.
For this study, the team followed a first-time mom and conducted various brain scans. They began prior to pregnancy and took place every few weeks up until she was two years postpartum.
The findings showed alterations in both gray and white matter in the brain throughout pregnancy, indicating that the brain exhibits significant neuroplasticity even in adulthood.
An advanced imaging technique enabled the team to observe dynamic brain reorganization in the first-time mother with remarkable clarity.
“Our goal was to fill the gap and understand the neurobiological changes that happen during pregnancy itself,” the study authors stated.
One of the most drastic changes observed was a decline in the volume of cortical gray matter – or the outer region of the brain. As hormone production increased throughout pregnancy, the gray matter volume decreased.
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Still, the scientists stressed that this decrease isn’t inherently negative, as the change may signify a “fine-tuning” of brain circuits – similar to the specialization that occurs in adolescents during puberty.
What was less apparent was how white matter – which lies deeper in the brain and primarily aids communication between regions – notably increased. Unlike the reduction in gray matter, which continued long after pregnancy, the rise in white matter was temporary.
It peaked during the second trimester and reverted to pre-pregnancy levels around the time of delivery.
Such changes had not been documented during past scans of mothers only before and after pregnancy, providing a clearer picture of the brain’s dynamic nature over a relatively brief period.
“The maternal brain undergoes a choreographed change across gestation, and we are finally able to see it unfold,” explained Professor Emily Jacobs of UC Santa Barbara.
A whopping 85% of women are pregnant once or more during their lives, and Pritschet hopes this research will “dispel the dogma” surrounding the perceived fragility of pregnant women. She believes the neuroscience of pregnancy shouldn’t be written off as a niche field.
Instead, this study could provide a foundation for future research to explore whether the extent or speed of these brain changes may indicate a woman’s postpartum depression risk.
“There are now FDA-approved treatments for postpartum depression, but early detection remains elusive. The more we learn about the maternal brain, the better chance we’ll have to provide relief,” Pritschet concluded.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Nature Neuroscience, visit the link here.
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