WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a recent study, scientists explored the neurological changes during pregnancy by conducting precision scans on a healthy 38-year-old pregnant woman who conceived via IVF.
The researchers took 26 brain scans and concurrent blood samples of their colleague, Dr Elizabeth Chrastil, to monitor the neurological and hormonal shifts. MRI scans were taken every few weeks from before conception until two years after her son was born in 2020.
While many women suffer from forgetfulness during and just after pregnancy, the findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, revealed more extensive changes in the brain.
'The maternal brain undergoes this choreographed change across gestation and we're finally able to observe the process in real time,' said Prof Emily Jacobs, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The scans showed a reduction in the grey matter in the brain, which is critical for memory and emotion, that persisted during pregnancy and stayed in that position for atleast two years. This change might help new parents to adapt to the challenges of parenthood, the study suggested.
'Sometimes people bristle when they hear that grey matter volume decreases in pregnancy,' Jacobs said. 'This change probably reflects the fine tuning of neural circuits, not unlike the cortical thinning that happens during puberty.'
Also, the team noted that white matter microstructure, which represents the brain's wiring, peaked at the end of the second trimester before returning to normal. Cerebrospinal fluid and brain cavities, known as ventricles, also expanded, all linked to rising hormone levels during pregnancy.
Despite these insights, the study did not address mood swings or sleep issues during pregnancy.
'This paper really opens up more questions than it answers,' Chrastil remarked. 'We're really just starting to scratch the surface.'
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