Baby brain, pregnancy brain, mom fog, momnesia…we all know the feeling. While doctors and researchers have confirmed that, yes, pregnancy brain is a thing, new research shows that baby brain may actually last well into the terrible twos.
Pregnancy Rewires the Brain
According to Akron Children’s Hospital, “During pregnancy, the body sends a flood of fluctuating hormones throughout the body. It’s like a truckload of different sizes and flavors, which affect all kinds of neurons in the brain.These physiological changes on the brain can cause women to experience memory problems, poor concentration and absentmindedness.”
While this is a common experience for pregnant women, new research shows that the changes that happen to the brain during pregnancy last much longer than previously thought. Hormonal fluctuations, especially related to estrogens, are believed to induce brain plasticity during pregnancy. This induces changes in a mother’s brain morphology, specifically a reduction in gray matter in regions linked to social relations, which lasts for at least two years post-birth.
New Study Sheds Light on Changes
According to Neuroscience News, Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute published the first paper that reviews the scientific literature on the neurobiological adaptation occurring during pregnancy and postpartum in humans and other animals.
Key Findings of this Study Include:
- Pregnancy induces changes in a mother’s brain morphology, specifically a reduction in gray matter in regions linked to social relations, which lasts for at least two years post-birth.
- Estrogens are considered the principal hormones responsible for inducing these brain changes.
- The emotional and cognitive processes that form the evolving mother-child relationship, particularly during pregnancy and postpartum, remain one of the least understood areas and distinguishes human mothers from other animals.
More Research Needed
While this is a breakthrough study, researchers note that much more research is needed to truly understand how pregnancy changes the human brain. Researchers emphasize the critical importance of conducting more studies on women.
“There are coincidences between humans and other animals, but there are many cerebral differences, particularly on the cerebral cortex, the most evolved part of the brain, and hormonal differences, given that the choreography between sexual hormones is different in each species” explains Camila Servin, researcher from the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine and at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute.
“Surprisingly, the study of what is one of the most generalized and important human experiences has never taken central stage,” the neuroscientist concludes.