Population-based neuroimaging reveals traces of childbirth in the maternal brain
de Lange A-MG., Kaufmann T., van der Meer D., Maglanoc LA., Alnæs D., Moberget T., Douaud G., Andreassen OA., Westlye LT.
Significance Pregnancy is one of the most dynamic periods in a woman’s life, involving a remarkable potential for brain plasticity that promotes cognitive and emotional adjustments to the newborn. We provide evidence for a relationship between number of childbirths and brain aging in 12,021 middle-aged women, suggesting that potential parity-related brain changes may endure beyond the postpartum period and influence the course of neurobiological aging.