Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period: links to maternal caregiving and mental health

Abstract

Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve numerous physiological adaptations that enable the development and survival of the offspring. A distinct neural plasticity characterizes the female brain during this period, and dynamic structural and functional changes take place that accompany fundamental behavioral adaptations, stimulating the female to progress from an individual with self-directed needs to being responsible for the care of another life. While many animal studies detail these modifications, an emerging body of research reveals the existence of reproduction-related brain plasticity in human mothers too. Additionally, associations with aspects of maternal caregiving point to adaptive changes that benefit a woman's transition to motherhood. However, the dynamic changes that affect a woman's brain are not merely adaptive, and they likely confer a vulnerability for the development of mental disorders. Here, we review the changes in brain structure and function that a woman undergoes during the peripartum period, outlining associations between these neural alterations and different aspects of maternal care. We additionally discuss peripartum mood disorders and postpartum psychosis, and review the neuroimaging studies that investigate the neural bases of these conditions.

Periaqueductal gray and emotions: the complexity of the problem and the light at the end of the tunnel, the magnetic resonance imaging

“…The study revealed activation of the PAG in mother viewing their own child vs. other child, whatever was the context (Noriuchi et al 2008), indicating that the PAG could be involved in social object recognition or bond attachment. These results -together with other studies on animals showing the involvement of the PAG in maternal behaviors including defense (Moura et al 2010;Sukikara et al 2010;Klein et al 2014;Barba-Muller et al 2018) -support that the PAG might be viewed as an important brain structure of the caregiving parental brain ).…”

Cerebrospinal beta-amyloid peptides(1-40) and (1-42) in severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome – a pilot study

“…Decrease in brain size begins after placental implantation 25 . It reaches maximum at term and it endures for at least 2 years post-partum 25,26 . Structural and functional changes accompany fundamental behavioural adaptations, stimulating to progress from self-involved individuality to carying motherhood 26 .…”

“…It reaches maximum at term and it endures for at least 2 years post-partum 25,26 . Structural and functional changes accompany fundamental behavioural adaptations, stimulating to progress from self-involved individuality to carying motherhood 26 . Changes in the maternal brain during pregnancy cannot be explained by endocrine and environmental factors alone 27 .…”

Maternal brain resting‐state connectivity in the postpartum period

“…During pregnancy, functional plasticity is mediated predominantly by hormonal changes, however; during the postpartum period, the functional plasticity is primarily driven by the social experience of interacting with the infant . This functional plasticity supports the ability of the mother to link sensory cues to the underlying needs of the infant and respond in a prompt and appropriate manner . This experience‐dependent plasticity functions to modulate the maternal brain circuitry and facilitate the ongoing interactions with the infant .…”

“…8 This functional plasticity supports the ability of the mother to link sensory cues to the underlying needs of the infant and respond in a prompt and appropriate manner. 9 This experience-dependent plasticity functions to modulate the maternal brain circuitry and facilitate the ongoing interactions with the infant. 3 However, the relationship between postpartum months and rsFC in the postpartum period remains unclear.…”