Brain: pregnancy changes its volume and thickness

“Pregnancy is a unique period of neuroplasticity in adult life, with important implications for women’s brain health and brain aging trajectories,” indicated researchers from the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (Madrid). In a recent study, they wanted to analyze the cortical changes in the brain during the perinatal period and explore the influence of the type of delivery on these changes.

The cerebral cortex of pregnant women shrinks during pregnancy

For the purposes of the work, the team collected neuroanatomical, obstetrical and neuropsychological data from 110 pregnant women for the first time, at the end of pregnancy (during the third trimester) and at the beginning of the postpartum period (during the first months following the birth of the baby) as well as 34 people who had never had children. In detail, the scientists examined the brain scans of the participants.

According to the results, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, at the end of pregnancy, future mothers had a lower cortical volume than control patients in all functional networks. Specifically, the cortex, which forms the covering of the brain, was 2.5% thinner and 4.6% smaller in volume in pregnant women. “These cortical differences attenuated early postpartum,” the authors clarified.

Childbirth: cesarean section increases the volume and thickness of the cortex during the postpartum period

Research has also highlighted different cortical trajectories in volunteers who gave birth by cesarean section. In a secondary analysis of 29 pregnant women and 24 childless adults, mothers who had undergone a cesarean section showed greater increases in cortex volume, thickness and surface area during the post-partum period. partum than those who gave life vaginally.

According to the researchers, the series of changes in the immune and hormonal systems during childbirth could also trigger changes in the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself.