Table 1.
Summary of the characteristics and findings of the longitudinal MRI structural studies tracking the maternal brain.
| Oatridge et al. (7) | Kim et al. (6) | Hoekzema et al. (2) | Lisofsky et al. (5) | Luders et at. (4) | Zhang et al. (3) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period * | Pre-pregnancy (n = 2) ➤22.5 weeks gestation (n = 4) ➤before delivery (n = 9) ➤6 weeks pp (n = 9) ➤24 weeks pp (n = 7) ➤40 weeks pp (n = 3) ➤1 year pp (n = 3) | 3 weeks pp ➤3.5 months pp | Pre-pregnancy ➤2 months pp | 2 months pp ➤5 months pp | 1.5 days pp ➤5 weeks pp | 1 year pp ➤2 years pp |
| Participants | 9 mothers | 19 mothers | 25 mothers and 25 nulliparous controls | 24 mothers and 24 nulliparous women | 14 mothers | 21 mothers |
| Primiparous | Not reported | 58% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 100% |
| Age at baseline (mean ± sd) | Mean: 31 years. Range: 20–38 years. | 33.27 ± 6.07 years | Mothers: 33.36 ± 3.97 years. Nulliparous: 31.10 ± 5.63 years | Mothers: 28.38 ± 3.41 years. Nulliparous: 25.42 ± 2.95 years | 32.8 ± 4.0 years | 30.03 ± 2.75 years |
| Processing method | Contour and thresholding semiautomatic technique | Voxel-based morphometry toolbox (SPM2) | Voxel-based morphometry toolbox (SPM12) | Voxel-based morphometry toolbox (SPM8) | Voxel-based morphometry toolbox (SPM8) | Volume in Computational Anatomy toolbox (SPM12) |
| Contrast and threshold | - | Post > Pre (p < 0.05 FDR-corr, extent > 100 voxels) | Mothers (Post-Pre) < Nulliparous women (Post-Pre) (peak level p < 0.05, FWE-corr) | Group by time interaction (p < 0.05 FWE-corr, exten t >200 voxels) | Post > Pre (peak level p <0.001, FWE-corr) | Post > Pre (peak level p <0.05, FDR-corr) |
| Direction | Brain size decreases until delivery, then increases | GM volume increases | GM volume decreases | GM volume increases | GM volume increases | GM volume decreases |
| MODIFIED REGIONS | ||||||
| Frontal regions | R superior frontal | Superior medial frontal | Superior frontal | |||
| Medial frontal | Medial frontal | |||||
| Middle frontal | L Middle frontal | Middle frontal | Middle frontal | |||
| Medial orbitofrontal | ||||||
| L inferior orbitofrontal | ||||||
| L inferior frontal | Inferior frontal | L inferior frontal | Inferior frontal | |||
| L Central and frontal operculum | ||||||
| L Superior Frontal | Ventro medial prefrontal | |||||
| Precentral | R medial precentral | Precentral | ||||
| R Paracentral | ||||||
| Temporal regions | L superior temporal | Superior temporal | ||||
| Middle temporal | ||||||
| Inferior temporal | ||||||
| Fusiform | ||||||
| Parietal regions | Precuneus | Precuneus | R precuneus | R precuneus | ||
| Superior parietal | L Superior parietal | |||||
| Inferior parietal | ||||||
| R middle occipital | ||||||
| Postcentral | R postcentral | Postcentral | ||||
| Insular cortex | Insula | L Insula | L insula | |||
| Cingulate cortex | R anterior cingulate | Anterior/posterior cingulates | Anterior cingulate | |||
| Cingulate | ||||||
| Subcortical regions | ||||||
| L hippocampus | ||||||
| R Parahippocampal | Parahippocampal | R Parahippocampal | ||||
| L Nucleus accumbens | ||||||
| R Thalamus | Thalamus | Thalamus | ||||
| Cerebellum | Cerebellum | R Cerebellum | ||||
| Caudate | L caudate | Caudate | ||||
| Substantia nigra | ||||||
| R amygdala | ||||||
| R Putamen | ||||||
| Mammilary body | ||||||
| R globus pallidum | ||||||
| Hypothalamus | ||||||
| L brainstem (pons, medulla) | ||||||
| Additional structural findings ** | Ventricular size increases until delivery, then decreases | Cortical thickness and area decreases (Freesurfer v5.3) GM decreases maintained up to 2 years pp | Decreased BRAIN age index (8) R hippocampus (subiculum,CA2 and CA3) (9) and amygdala increases (10) |
WM increases and cortical thickness decreases. Cross-sectional analysis mothers vs nulliparous women: lower GM and cortical thickness, higher WM and gyrification index | ||
| GM decreases maintained up to 6 years pp (11) | ||||||
| Flattening of the cortex (12) | ||||||
| L nucleus accumbens decreases (13) | ||||||
*
Periods were reported as the mean time-points when the scans were acquired.
**
The additional structural findings come from other studies or analyses that have used the same participants sample. pp, postpartum; FDR, false discovery rate; FWE, family wise error; GM, gray matter; WM, white matter; L, left hemisphere; R, right hemisphere; p, p-value.