A pregnant woman's brain rewires to prepare for motherhood: Study

During pregnancy itrsquos not womenrsquos bodies alone that undergo change Turns out the brain also gets lsquorewiredrsquo to prepare for motherhood finds a study in miceThe findings published in the journal Science show that both oestrogen and progesterone act on a small population of neurons in the brain to switch on parental behaviour even before offspring arrive These adaptations resulted in stronger and more selective responses to pupsIt is well known that while virgin female rodents do not show much interaction with pups mothers spend most of their time looking after young It was thought that hormones released when giving birth are most crucial for this onset of maternal behaviourBut earlier research also showed that rats who have given birth by Caesarean section and virgin mice exposed to pregnancy hormones still display this maternal behaviour suggesting that hormone changes already during pregnancy may be more importantIn the current study the researchers from the Francis Crick Institute found that female mice indeed showed increased parental behaviour during late pregnancy and that exposure to pups wasnrsquot necessary for this change in behaviourThey found that a population of nerve cells galaninexpressing neurons in an area of the brain called the medial preoptic area MPOA in the hypothalamus associated with parenting was impacted by oestrogen and progesteroneWe know that the female body changes during pregnancy to prepare for bringing up young One example is the production of milk which starts long before giving birth Our research shows that such preparations are taking place in the brain toordquo said Jonny Kohl from the CrickldquoWe think that these changes often referred to as lsquobaby brainrsquo cause a change in priority virgin mice focus on mating so donrsquot need to respond to other femalesrsquo pups whereas mothers need to perform robust parental behaviour to ensure pup survival Whatrsquos fascinating is that this switch doesnrsquot happen at birth the brain is preparing much earlier for this big life changerdquo Kohl addedIn the study brain recordings showed that oestrogen simultaneously reduced the baseline activity of these neurons and made them more excitable whereas progesterone rewired their inputs by recruiting more synapses sites of communication between neuronsMaking these neurons insensitive to hormones completely removed the onset of parental behaviour during pregnancy Mice failed to show parental behaviour even after giving birth suggesting there is a critical period during pregnancy when these hormones take effectWhile some of these changes lasted for at least a month after giving birth others seem to be permanent suggesting pregnancy can lead to longterm rewiring of the female brainThe researchers believe the brain may also be rewired in a similar way during pregnancy in humans as the same hormonal changes are expected to impact the same areas of the brain This could influence parental behaviour alongside environmental and social cuesAlso Read World Mental Health Day 2023 How high parental expectations impact young adultsrsquo mental wellbeingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever