A new studies published in Nature Neuroscience by a team of Dutch and Spanish researchers shows that the brains of a woman undergo significant physical change at the first pregnancy, caused by hormonal changes.
Parts of the brain permanently shrink.
Primary author Elseline Hoekzema, of Leiden University, says 'the change can be compared en severity to the effects of puberty', where specific brain areas specialize in preparation for the adult life fase.
For instance, in pregnant women, the hippocampus, which plays a part in formation of memory, shrinks.
At the same time, the amount of grey matter in the cerebral cortex reduces, possibly to further specialize certain brain functions by trimming redundant connections.
The affected areas in the cortex play a role in the recognition of thoughts and emotions in others.
According to the researchers, the changes assist the mother in asessing the needs of her infant.
In experiments where mothers were shown pictures of their baby, exactly those areas that were affected lit up. The amount of change to the brain matter also correlates strongly to how strong mothers describe the bond to their child to be.
Hoekzema and her colleagues studied brain scans of 25 women before, and after their first pregnancy, and compared those to women who did not get pregnant, and to males who became father for the first time.
Contrary to the fathers, and the non-pregnant women, the mothers underwent significant, identical changes to their brains. When retested 2 years later, most changes also seem to be permanent. The only brain area which restored to nearly it's original size was the hippocampus.
"an elegant studies which clearly shows change in the grey matter", says Lise Eliot, head of the neuroscience department at Chicago Medical School, who wasn't involved in the studies. She does question the assumed function of the changes. "I think to say that it all has to do with social skills, and the bond between mother and child, is a bit ahead of itself. The affected areas play a role in much more than the ability to empathize with another."
Hoekzema adds that the results of their studies should not be used as an excuse by fathers to leave the upbringing of their child to their wife. "These hormone induced changes are not the only way to good parenthood. At most, they can contribute a little."
Understanding these changes could possibly grant more insight into the development of post-natal depression. Hoekzema: "Just like puberty, pregnancy is a period of great alteration of the brains under influence of hormones. With that, it's also a period that's very sensitive to developing mental problems".
http://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/brein-zwangere-vrouw-krimpt-en-verandert-blijvend~a4436981/
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