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Major Changes in the Brain During Pregnancy
Context:
A new study published in Nature Neuroscience reveals that the brain also undergoes substantial changes during pregnancy, some of which are temporary while others may be more lasting.
Key Highlights:
- Pregnancy induces significant changes across a woman’s body, including hormonal, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary systems.
- The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California documented several notable changes in the brain:
- Cortical Grey Matter: The volume of cortical grey matter, which makes up the brain’s outermost layer, was found to decrease significantly.
- This reduction averaged about 4% in roughly 80% of the brain regions studied.
- White Matter Integrity: There was an increase of about 10% in the microstructural integrity of white matter, which is responsible for transmitting signals across different brain regions.
- This change peaked late in the second trimester and early in the third trimester.
- Hormonal Influence: These changes coincided with rising levels of the hormones estradiol and progesterone, suggesting a strong hormonal influence on brain structure during pregnancy.
- Postpartum Changes: While there was a small rebound in grey matter volume postpartum, it did not return to pre-pregnancy levels. The white matter integrity also returned to pre-pregnancy status after childbirth.
Future Research Directions:
- Researchers aim to explore how variations in these brain changes could relate to conditions like postpartum depression and preeclampsia.
- The ongoing Maternal Brain Project seeks to expand this research to a larger group of women to better understand these transformations.
