Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period: links to maternal caregiving and mental health

Archives of Women's Mental Health
Erika Barba-MüllerElseline Hoekzema

Abstract

Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve numerous physiological adaptations that enable the development and survival of the offspring. A distinct neural plasticity characterizes the female brain during this period, and dynamic structural and functional changes take place that accompany fundamental behavioral adaptations, stimulating the female to progress from an individual with self-directed needs to being responsible for the care of another life. While many animal studies detail these modifications, an emerging body of research reveals the existence of reproduction-related brain plasticity in human mothers too. Additionally, associations with aspects of maternal caregiving point to adaptive changes that benefit a woman's transition to motherhood. However, the dynamic changes that affect a woman's brain are not merely adaptive, and they likely confer a vulnerability for the development of mental disorders. Here, we review the changes in brain structure and function that a woman undergoes during the peripartum period, outlining associations between these neural alterations and different aspects of maternal care. We additionally discuss peripartum mood disorders and postpartum psychosis, and review the neuroimaging studies th...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 21, 2019·Journal of Neuroendocrinology·Alexander J DuffordPilyoung Kim
Dec 18, 2019·Development and Psychopathology·María José RodrigoIleana Quiñones
Jul 11, 2019·Archives of Women's Mental Health·Jodi Pawluski, Molly Dickens
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May 18, 2019·Neural Plasticity·Lily WanXiao-Xin Yan
May 22, 2020·Social Neuroscience·Faranak GholampourMarion I van den Heuvel
Oct 4, 2020·Archives of Women's Mental Health·Cristina Alomar-DominguezW Lederer
Feb 3, 2021·The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing·Sara Wagner Moyer, Patricia A Kinser
Oct 11, 2020·Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology·Pilyoung Kim
Feb 3, 2021·Brain Sciences·Magdalena Martínez-GarcíaSusanna Carmona
Mar 29, 2021·Brain and Cognition·Orli Dahan
Mar 17, 2021·Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica·Siew LimLisa Moran
Jul 1, 2019·Trends in Neurosciences·Forrest Dylan Rogers, Karen Lisa Bales
May 1, 2021·Frontiers in Sociology·Ingrid Olivia Norrmén-SmithSuparna Choudhury
May 4, 2021·Human Brain Mapping·Yunjin BakNa-Young Shin
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Oct 16, 2021·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Lisa I HorstmanMarian J Bakermans-Kranenburg

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