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Open Access 01-04-2019 | Original Article

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

Authors: Erika Barba-Müller, Sinéad Craddock, Susanna Carmona, Elseline Hoekzema

Published in: Archives of Women's Mental Health | Issue 2/2019

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.

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Title: Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period: links to maternal caregiving and mental health
Authors: Erika Barba-Müller
Sinéad Craddock
Susanna Carmona
Elseline Hoekzema
Publication date: 01-04-2019
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Published in: Archives of Women's Mental Health / Issue 2/2019
Print ISSN: 1434-1816
Electronic ISSN: 1435-1102
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0889-z

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

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

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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Acknowledgement to reviewers 2018