Women’s neuroplasticity during gestation, childbirth, and postpartum

Pregnancy is a transformative life event that causes profound changes in almost every system of the mother's body. Recent research has recognized that pregnancy is also a unique neuroplastic period in adult life. This longitudinal study tracked the cortical brain adaptations taking place during the unexplored period of the peripartum and examined whether the type of childbirth influences these brain adaptations. We collected neuroanatomic, obstetric, and neuropsychological data from 110 first-time mothers at two sessions: late pregnancy and early postpartum. We also collected data from a control group of 34 nulliparous women evaluated at a similar time interval. At late pregnancy, first-time mothers showed pronounced cortical volume and thickness reductions, mainly in somatomotor, attentional, and default mode networks. These reductions attenuated at the early postpartum session, especially in somatomotor and attentional networks, suggesting that reductions affecting the default mode network may persist longer. The more postpartum time between sessions, the greater the cortical volume, thickness, and surface area increases. These neuroanatomic findings were replicated in an independent longitudinal sample of 29 first-time mothers and 24 nulliparous women. Results also suggest that labor entails additional neuroplasticity in the maternal brain, with different cortical changes before and after childbirth in mothers who delivered via scheduled cesarean section. This work provides evidence of a dynamic trajectory of cortical decreases during pregnancy that valley around parturition and attenuate as postpartum progresses. Our findings position childbirth as a key physiological event for comprehending the plasticity of the maternal brain.