Table 1.
Summary of key changes in the maternal brain of humans with structural and functional neuroimaging. EEG = electroencephalography ; fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging; rsFC = resting-state functional connectivity
| Pregnancy | Postpartum | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Structural neuroimaging ↓ overall brain size 1 ↓ grey matter volume across pregnancy in medial frontal cortex, precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, inferior frontal gyri, superior temporal sulci, hippocampus, ventral striatum 2, 3 ↓ volume associated with ↑ maternal attachment 2 and ↑ neural reactivity to infant 3 |
|
Structural neuroimaging ↓ cortical thickness 4,5,6 ↑ grey matter volume in various brain regions in the weeks or months postpartum in frontal areas, occipital cortex, and cerebellar areas 7,8 ↓ grey matter volume in many brain regions compared to pre-conception up to 6 years postpartum 2,9,10 ↑ grey matter volume in hippocampus 2 ↑ white matter volume and gyrification 6 |
| Functional neuroimaging ↑ EEG response in a number of tasks5,11,12 |
Functional neuroimaging ↑ fMRI response to offspring cues in many areas including the insula, orbitofrontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, thalamus, amygdala, striatum 13,14,15 ↑ fMRI response to infant cries in frontal regions associated with ↑ attachment 16, ↑ sensitive behaviors to their infants 17 ↑ connectivity with the anterior cingulate gyrus, left nucleus accumbens, right caudate and left cerebellum using rsFC18 ↑ rsFC between the left amygdala and left nucleus accumbens associated with ↑ maternal structuring during a mother-child interaction18 |