Delhi Delhi. A new research shows that 94 percent of the gray matter in mothers' brains changes during pregnancy. The team from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) found that 94 percent of the total gray matter volume of the brain changes by about 5 percent. Matter deficits and partial recovery occur, especially in areas related to social cognition. This study was the first to analyze the brains of women during pregnancy using neuro-imaging techniques.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, included non-pregnant mothers whose partners were pregnant, in order to isolate the biological effects caused by the experience of becoming a mother. UAB, Gregorio Marañon Health Research Institute and Hospital del Mar Researchers from the Research Institute, along with other prestigious international institutions, were part of this study.
The findings reveal a dynamic trajectory in the brain during pregnancy and childbirth, which is significantly linked to the steroid hormone fluctuations inherent in pregnancy and the psychological well-being of mothers. The findings revealed that during the first pregnancy, Gray matter volume in the brain decreases by 4.9 percent, partially recovering during the postnatal period.
“These changes are seen in 94 percent of the brain, with areas particularly prominent in areas associated with social cognition,” the study said. The study also demonstrated for the first time that these morphological changes in the brain occur during development. The two are associated with fluctuations in estrogen hormones that increase rapidly during pregnancy and return to basal levels after delivery.
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