Potential Brain Age Reversal after Pregnancy: Younger Brains at 4-6 Weeks Postpartum

Neuroscience
Eileen LudersChristian Gaser

Abstract

Pregnancy is accompanied by complex biological adaptations, including extreme hormonal fluctuations. Moreover, changes on the endocrine level are accompanied by changes in cerebral anatomy, such as reductions in brain or gray matter volume. Since declining brain and tissue volumes are characteristic for normal aging, the question arises of whether such pregnancy-induced anatomical effects are permanent or transient. To answer this question, we acquired high-resolution brain image data of 14 healthy women in their mid-twenties to late thirties at two time points: within 1-2 days of childbirth (early postpartum) and at 4-6 weeks after childbirth (late postpartum). At both time points, we estimated the brain ages for each woman using a well-validated machine learning approach based on pattern recognition. Ultimately, this algorithm - designed to identify anatomical correlates of age across the entire brain - reveals a single score for each individual: the BrainAGE index. Comparing the BrainAGE indices between both time points, female brains at late postpartum were estimated to be considerably younger than at early postpartum. On average, that difference was about five years (mean ± SD: 5.4 ± 2.4 years). These findings suggest a su...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 3, 2019·Frontiers in Neurology·Katja Franke, Christian Gaser
Apr 10, 2020·Scientific Reports·Kaida NingArthur W Toga
Oct 11, 2020·Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology·Pilyoung Kim
Feb 3, 2021·Brain Sciences·Magdalena Martínez-GarcíaSusanna Carmona
Jul 31, 2020·Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology·Inger Sundström-PoromaaEileen Luders
Apr 22, 2021·Brain Imaging and Behavior·Eileen LudersFlorian Kurth
Aug 14, 2021·BMC Neurology·Jo WrigglesworthJoanne Ryan
Mar 11, 2020·Neuroendocrinology·Elisa RehbeinBirgit Derntl
Jan 7, 2022·European Journal of Epidemiology·Jurate AleknaviciuteSteven A Kushner
Jan 12, 2022·European Journal of Neurology : the Official Journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies·Tomas UherDana Horakova

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