pregnancy It is a period of profound transformation in a person’s life, marked by rapid physiological adaptations to prepare the body for motherhood, a fact widely known. However, what still remains an enigma is how the drastic hormonal changes of pregnancy affect the brain. Researchers from the laboratory Professor Emily Jacobs, at the University of California in Santa Barbara (United States)have made important advances in this understudied area, publishing the first map of the human brain during pregnancy in a recent article in Nature Neuroscience.
«We wanted to observe the trajectory of the brain changes specifically within the gestational window,” explains Laura Pritschet, lead author of the article. Until now, Previous studies have captured images of the brain before and after pregnancybut its evolution during this stage of transformation had never been documented.
The team analyzed the brain of a new mother every few weeks, from before pregnancy to two years after delivery. The data has been obtained in collaboration with the team of Elizabeth Chrastil at UC Irvine (United States)revealed changes in the gray and white matter of the brain throughout pregnancy. This suggests that the brain has an amazing capacity for neuroplasticity, even in adulthood.
What is the gray matter of the brain?
The gray matter of the brain is a crucial part of the central nervous system and is primarily composed of the cell bodies of neurons, their dendrites, and glial cells. It is the region of the brain that is involved in information processing and functions such as motor control, sensory processing, and thinking.
Gray matter is found on the surface of the brain, forming the cerebral cortex, and also in the inner nuclei of the brain, such as the basal ganglia. Unlike white matter, which is made up of myelinated nerve fibers (axons), gray matter primarily contains the active parts of neurons where connections and signal transmission occur.
High precision images
Using a high-precision imaging method allowed the researchers to observe the participant’s dynamic brain reorganization in great detail. This approach complements previous studies that had compared brains of women before and after pregnancy. As the authors explain, “our goal was to fill the gap and understand neurobiological changes that occur during pregnancy.
One of the most notable findings was the decreased volume of cortical gray matter, the outer, wrinkled part of the brain, which shrank as increased hormone production during pregnancy. However, scientists stressed that this reduction is not necessarily negative. In fact, it could represent a “fine tuning» of brain circuits, similar to what happens in adolescence during puberty, when the brain becomes more specialized. Pregnancy is likely to be another period of cortical refinement.
Ester Muñoz and her team conducted an exhaustive set of analyzes that provided new insights into the plasticity of the adult brain during this stage, says Jacobs.
In addition to the decrease in gray matter, the researchers observed an increase in white matterwhich is found in deeper areas of the brain and facilitates communication between different brain regions. Although the reduction in gray matter was maintained after delivery, the increase in white matter was temporary, peaking in the second trimester and returning to pre-pregnancy levels around the time of delivery. These types of changes have never been captured with previous scanswhich provides a better understanding of brain dynamization in a short period of time.
“The maternal brain goes through a choreographed change throughout gestation, and we can finally observe how it happens,” Jacobs points out. These findings suggest that the adult brain is capable of undergoing prolonged periods of neuroplasticitychanges that could facilitate behavioral adaptations related to parenting.
Neurological research
Pritschet also emphasized that pregnancy should not be seen as a marginal themel in research neurologicalsince more than 85% of women experience one or more pregnancies throughout their lives. Understanding the brain changes that occur during this process will not only expand knowledge about the neuroscience of pregnancy, but also about brain function in general, including aging.
This new open-access data set is a starting point for future studies investigating whether the magnitude or pace of these brain changes can offer clues about the risk of postpartum depression, a condition that affects one in five women. «Although there are now approved treatments for postpartum depression», says Pritschet, «early detection remains a challenge. “The more we learn about the maternal brain, the better the chances of offering relief.”
“Experts in neuroscience, reproductive immunology, proteomics and artificial intelligence are joining forces to discover more than ever about the maternal brain,” concludes Jacobs. «Together, we have the opportunity to address some of the most pressing problems and less understood in women’s health.
