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Pritschet L, Taylor CM, Cossio D, Faskowitz J, Santander T, Handwerker DA, Grotzinger H, Layher E, Chrastil ER, Jacobs EG. Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. Nat Neurosci 2024:10.1038/s41593-024-01741-0. [PMID: 39284962 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01741-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Pregnancy is a period of profound hormonal and physiological changes experienced by millions of women annually, yet the neural changes unfolding in the maternal brain throughout gestation are not well studied in humans. Leveraging precision imaging, we mapped neuroanatomical changes in an individual from preconception through 2 years postpartum. Pronounced decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness were evident across the brain, standing in contrast to increases in white matter microstructural integrity, ventricle volume and cerebrospinal fluid, with few regions untouched by the transition to motherhood. This dataset serves as a comprehensive map of the human brain across gestation, providing an open-access resource for the brain imaging community to further explore and understand the maternal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pritschet
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
| | - Caitlin M Taylor
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Daniela Cossio
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Joshua Faskowitz
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tyler Santander
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Daniel A Handwerker
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hannah Grotzinger
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Evan Layher
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Chrastil
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Emily G Jacobs
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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Pritschet L, Taylor CM, Cossio D, Santander T, Grotzinger H, Faskowitz J, Handwerker DA, Layher E, Chrastil ER, Jacobs EG. Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.14.571688. [PMID: 38168195 PMCID: PMC10760186 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.14.571688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Pregnancy is a period of profound hormonal and physiological change experienced by millions of women annually, yet the neural changes unfolding in the maternal brain throughout gestation have not been studied in humans. Leveraging precision imaging, we mapped neuroanatomical changes in an individual from preconception through two years postpartum. Pronounced decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness were evident across the brain, which stand in contrast to increases in white matter microstructural integrity, ventricle volume, and cerebrospinal fluid, with few regions untouched by the transition to motherhood. This dataset serves as the first comprehensive map of the human brain across gestation, providing an open-access resource for the brain imaging community to stimulate further exploration and discovery.
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