13/06/2023
A groundbreaking study has discovered that the architecture of women's brains undergoes significant changes during their first pregnancies, which persist for at least two years.
The study found that gray matter in regions involved in processing social signals decreases, potentially enabling new mothers to efficiently respond to their infants' needs and detect threats. The changes were observed regardless of whether the pregnancy was natural or through in vitro fertilisation.
The findings suggest that gray matter volume loss may represent a beneficial process of maturation or specialisation. The study provides valuable insights into the long-lasting anatomical brain changes associated with pregnancy.
