Table 1 .
Sample description at the preconception session (baseline)
| Characteristics | First-time fathers | Childless men | First-time mothers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample size [number of subjects] | 20 | 17 | 25 |
| Mean (SD) age [years] | 35.60 (4.25) | 32.065 (6.32) | 33.85 (3.88) |
| Age range [years] | 27.07–45.77 | 24.43–44.00 | 26.73–40.81 |
| Mean (SD) interscanner time [days] | 453.75 (116.72) | 419.176 (93.18) | 463.52 (108.33) |
| Mean (SD) time between parturition and postpartum session [days] | 70.25 (49.21) | × | 73.56 (47.83) |
| Education [number of subjects] School College University |
2 4 14 |
1 3 13 |
2 4 19 |
| Type of conception [number of subjects] Natural Fertility treatment |
6 14 |
× × |
8 17 |
| Mean (SD) total brain volume [cm3] | 1164.60 (70.62) | 1137.21 (102.69) | 1008.82 (87.14) |
Note: Analysis of variance F-tests did not show any significant difference among the 3 groups in age at preconception (F-value = 2.53, P-value = 0.088) and interscanner time (F-value = 0.90, P-value = 0.411). Age at preconception did not differ between fathers that conceived naturally or through fertility treatment (t-statistic = 1.53, P-value = 0.145). Also, first-time fathers and mothers did not differ in the time between parturition and postpartum session (t-statistic = 0.23, P-value = 0.821). There were significant group differences in the total brain volume at preconception (F-value = 20.70, P-value = 0.0001). Specifically, total brain volume differed between mothers and fathers, and between mothers and childless men [both P-value < 0.0001, Tukey’s Honest Significant Difference (HSD) corrected] but not between fathers and childless men (P-value = 0.608, Tukey HSD corrected). Pearson’s chi-squared test did not show any significant group difference neither in education (χ2 = 0.36, P-value = 0.985) nor in type of conception (χ2 = 0.021, P-value = 0.886).