AUTHOR=Martínez-García Magdalena , Paternina-Die María , Desco Manuel , Vilarroya Oscar , Carmona Susanna TITLE=Characterizing the Brain Structural Adaptations Across the Motherhood Transition JOURNAL=Frontiers in Global Women's Health VOLUME=2 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/global-womens-health/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2021.742775 DOI=10.3389/fgwh.2021.742775 ISSN=2673-5059 ABSTRACT=

Women that become mothers face notable physiological adaptations during this life-period. Neuroimaging studies of the last decade have provided grounded evidence that women's brains structurally change across the transition into motherhood. The characterization of this brain remodeling is currently in its early years of research. The current article reviews this scientific field by focusing on our longitudinal (pre-to-post pregnancy) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies in first-time parents and other longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of parents. We present the questions that are currently being answered by the parental brain literature and point out those that have not yet been explored. We also highlight potential confounding variables that need to be considered when analyzing and interpreting brain changes observed during motherhood.