New research tracks important changes to the brain that occur during a pregnancy Levels of 'gray matter' decline, while levels of the brain's 'white matter' rise The findings could deepen the understanding of common conditions such as postpartum depression MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- With implications for research around postpartum depression and other health issues, scientists have tracked the changes pregnancy brings to the female brain. These changes weren't subtle: Big shifts in what's known as the brain's "white matter" versus "gray matter" were observed, according to a team from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
“The maternal brain undergoes a choreographed change across gestation, and we are finally able to see it unfold,” said study co-author Emily Jacobs , an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at the university. The study is thought to be the first to track brain changes throughout a pregnancy, rather than looking at discrete 'snapshots' taken at various points in gestation. The study focused on the brain of one woman undergoing her first pregnancy.
Researchers led by Laura Pritschet , a PhD student working in Jacob's lab, took scans of the woman's brain every few weeks -- starting before pregnancy, during gestation and then for two years after delivery. The "neuroplasticity" observed in her brain was dramatic, Pritschet and colleagues report. The biggest alteration came with the ratio of white matter and gray.