This is how the brain of pregnant women changes

While the physical and physiological effects of pregnancy on the female body are clear, its effects on the brain are less known. We are talking about an amazing organ consisting of plastic neural networks. This means that life events such as pregnancy can change these circuits and their structure.

hormonal disbalance

During pregnancy, changes occur that lead to the production of sex hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, necessary to maintain the pregnancy and prepare the woman for childbirth. Both have a big impact on the brain as they control the shape and number of neurons.

This phenomenon has been demonstrated during puberty when estrogen and progesterone levels increase and cause behavioral, cognitive and emotional changes in adolescent girls. Something similar happens during pregnancy, although less has been studied so far.

First, an increase in estrogen levels can lead to a change in the brain’s ability to learn and make decisions. It can also have a positive effect on mood and emotional well-being.

As for progesterone, studies show that it causes an increase in the expression of cytoskeletal proteins (a network of proteins that provide the internal support of the cell) in the hippocampus. This may include increased plasticity in synapses, the connections between neurons.

However, how these hormones affect memory is not yet fully understood. More research is needed to better understand its role.

Reduces gray matter, but it is positive

Among the changes observed in the brain of a pregnant woman is a decrease in the volume of gray matter, an area of ​​the brain formed mainly by the bodies of neurons. In addition, the width of the furrows and the size of the cavities called ventricles increase, while the thickness and surface area of ​​the cortex decrease. However, after the baby is born, these modifications are reversed and the brain grows again.

Although the loss of gray matter at first glance seems harmful, it suggests the opposite: this loss may represent a fine-tuning of connections. This is what happens in the teenage brain when the flood of hormones triggers the overall contraction of the synapses and creates more efficient brain circuits.

Changes, region by region

If we look at the different areas of the pregnant brain, the most noticeable changes are:

1. Enlargement of the tonsils. Its main function is the processing of emotions. During pregnancy, it can cause depression and anxiety.

2. Enlargement of the pituitary gland. It is known as the “master gland” because it produces hormones that affect many bodily functions. During pregnancy, your role may be to create an emotional bond between mother and child.

3. Shrinkage of the hippocampus, an area important for memory and emotional regulation.

4. Increased activity of the precuneus. This area is responsible for integrating the internal information of the brain with information from the external environment. This seems to help the mother become aware of her body, allowing her to focus on the development of her newborn.

5. Increased activity of the cingulate gyrus, prefrontal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex. It also seems to have to do with creating bonds between mother and child.

Minds set to take care of a child

Therefore, the changes that the brain undergoes during pregnancy affect the structures involved in social cognition, the ability to know what another person is thinking and feeling.

These changes that favor social affective processes can be understood as an adaptive advantage. Expanded social cognition promotes bonding between mother and child and helps a mother to care for her child and recognize its needs by deciphering baby sounds and cries. In addition, it allows the parent to interpret social cues that may signal a threat.

However, improvements in social cognition may come at a price. Many women report problems with memory, a phenomenon called “pregnancy brain.” For example, spatial memory may suffer late in pregnancy because it is not critical to the survival of the offspring during this period.

On the other hand, some authors suggest that brain changes associated with pregnancy may have implications for long-term mental health and well-being of mothers. In support of this idea, some research suggests that it may have a protective effect against aging.

For example, middle-aged parents respond faster and make fewer mistakes on visual memory tasks than people without children. In addition, people over 70 who have offspring have thicker cerebral cortex and better verbal memory, suggesting that motherhood and fatherhood may have a neuroprotective effect during aging.

More research needed

Thus, pregnancy has a significant impact on the structure and function of the mother’s brain, including changes in gray matter, neural connections, and brain plasticity. These modifications explain the close psychological bond that the mother creates with the newborn. They could also shed light on why some women are more likely to develop postpartum depression.

However, more research is needed in this regard, as only a few dozen studies have been conducted over the past century examining the effects of pregnancy on the female brain. In addition, these studies were conducted on a small number of women.

Laura Trujillo Estrada, assistant professor. Department of Cell Biology, Genetics and Physiology, University of Malaga. Center for Networked Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED). Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA), University of Malaga and Agustin Maria Torres Prioris, Assistant Professor in the Department of Didactics in Mathematics, Social Sciences and Experimental Sciences at the University of Malaga. Member of the Research Group on Teaching Science and Competences (ENCIC), University of Malaga

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.

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