Cited by 95Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Pregnancy and adolescence entail similar neuroanatomical adaptations: a comparative analysis of cerebral morphometric changes

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Carmona, Susanna, Martínez‐García, Magdalena, Paternina‐Die, María, Barba‐Müller, Erika, Wierenga, Lara M., Alemán‐Gómez, Yasser, Pretus, Clara, Marcos‐Vidal, Luis +14 more·2019·Human Brain Mapping

Abstract

Mapping the impact of pregnancy on the human brain is essential for understanding the neurobiology of maternal caregiving. Recently, we found that pregnancy leads to a long‐lasting reduction in cerebral gray matter volume. However, the morphometric features behind the volumetric reductions remain unexplored. Furthermore, the similarity between these reductions and those occurring during adolescence, another hormonally similar transitional period of life, still needs to be investigated. Here, we used surface‐based methods to analyze the longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging data of a group of 25 first‐time mothers (before and after pregnancy) and compare them to those of a group of 25 female adolescents (during 2 years of pubertal development). For both first‐time mothers and adolescent girls, a monthly rate of volumetric reductions of 0.09 mm 3 was observed. In both cases, these reductions were accompanied by decreases in cortical thickness, surface area, local gyrification index, sulcal depth, and sulcal length, as well as increases in sulcal width. In fact, the changes associated with pregnancy did not differ from those that characterize the transition during adolescence in any of these measures. Our findings are consistent with the notion that the brain morphometric changes associated with pregnancy and adolescence reflect similar hormonally primed biological processes.

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  • Recent brain MRI research following female adolescents, first-time pregnant-to-postpartum women, and never-pregnant women for 2 years found that both adolescents and pregnant-to-postpartum women show comparable reductions in cerebral gray matter and decreases in cortical thickness compared with minimal difference in the never-pregnant group.

    “Recent brain MRI research following female adolescents, first-time pregnant-to-postpartum women, and never-pregnant women for 2 years found that both the adolescents and pregnant-to-postpartum women show comparable reductions in cerebral gray matter and decreases in cortical thickness compared with minimal difference in the never-pregnant group.91”

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Authors
Carmona, S., Martínez‐García, M., Paternina‐Die, M., Barba‐Müller, E., Wierenga, L. M., Alemán‐Gómez, Y., Pretus, C., Marcos‐Vidal, L., Beumala, L., Cortizo, R., Pozzobon, C., Picado, M., Lucco, F., García‐García, D., Soliva, J. C., Tobeña, A., Peper, J. S., Crone, E. A., Ballesteros, A., Vilarroya, O., Desco, M., & Hoekzema, E.
Affiliations
  • Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (ES)
  • Sección de Neuroimagen, Laboratorio de Imagen Médica, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental Madrid Spain
  • Sección de Neuroimagen, Laboratorio de Imagen Médica, Unidad de Medicina y Cirugía Experimental Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón Madrid Spain
  • Universitat Ramon Llull (ES)
  • Leiden University (NL)
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CH)
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
  • Barcelona IVI Clinic (ES)
  • Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (ES)
  • Unitat de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Spain
  • Neuroimaging of mental disorders group Hospital del Mar Research Institute Barcelona Spain
  • Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (ES)
Venue
Human Brain Mapping
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-01-20
Volume
40
Issue
7
Pages
2143-2152
ISSN
  • 1065-9471 (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-0193
OpenAlex
W2913151108
Cited by
95
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5
FWCI
12.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Human Brain Mapping (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
  • IRIS (submittedVersion)
  • SERVAL (Université de Lausanne) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de España
  • Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CP16/00096)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
pregnancy, adolescence, gray matter loss, cortical thickness, cortical surface area, gyrification index, sulcal depth, pubertal development, maternal brain
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Adolescent, Adult, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Organ Size, Pregnancy, Young Adult

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