The DOI matches its Crossref record; 46 of the 46 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 43 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
The plasticity of human maternal brain: Longitudinal changes in brain anatomy during the early postpartum period
Open accessAbstract
Animal studies suggest that structural changes occur in the maternal brain during the early postpartum period in regions such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, parietal lobe, and prefrontal cortex and such changes are related to the expression of maternal behaviors. In an attempt to explore this in humans, we conducted a prospective longitudinal study to examine gray matter changes using voxel-based morphometry on high resolution magnetic resonance images of mothers' brains at two time points: 2-4 weeks postpartum and 3-4 months postpartum. Comparing gray matter volumes across these two time points, we found increases in gray matter volume of the prefrontal cortex, parietal lobes, and midbrain areas. Increased gray matter volume in the midbrain including the hypothalamus, substantia nigra, and amygdala was associated with maternal positive perception of her baby. These results suggest that the first months of motherhood in humans are accompanied by structural changes in brain regions implicated in maternal motivation and behaviors.
Overview
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Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
In a prospective longitudinal MRI study of 19 mothers, gray matter volume increased from 2–4 weeks to 3–4 months postpartum in prefrontal, parietal, and midbrain regions. Mothers’ positive perception of their baby at Time 1 predicted gray matter increase in a midbrain cluster including hypothalamus, amygdala, and substantia nigra.
Key findings
- From Time 1 (2–4 weeks postpartum) to Time 2 (3–4 months postpartum), mothers showed increased gray matter volume in superior, middle, and inferior prefrontal cortex, precentral and postcentral gyrus, superior and inferior parietal lobe, insula, and thalamus, p < .05 FDR corrected, >100 voxels; no region showed decreased gray matter volume.
- Positive thoughts on baby at Time 1 averaged 6.11 (SD = 2.83; range 1–12) and significantly predicted gray matter volume change in a midbrain cluster including hypothalamus, amygdala, and substantia nigra, controlling for parenting experience and scan interval, β = .44, p = .01.
- Positive thoughts on parenting averaged 8.21 (SD = 7.71; range 1–32) and did not significantly predict gray matter changes in the same midbrain region.
Methods
- Prospective longitudinal study of 19 biological mothers of full-term, healthy infants (mean age = 33.27, SD = 6.07), recruited at Yale-New Haven Hospital; all were right-handed, Caucasian, married or cohabiting, and breastfeeding.
- High-resolution T1-weighted MRI scans were obtained at 2–4 weeks postpartum (Time 1) and 3–4 months postpartum (Time 2), with an average interval of 76.53 days (SD = 9.88).
- Optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) with paired t tests tested gray matter changes; whole-brain significance used FDR 5% and extent threshold of 100 voxels. Multiple regression tested associations between YIPTA-R positive thoughts on parenting/baby and midbrain gray matter volume changes, controlling for parenting experience and scan interval.
Limitations
- The paper states the sample is relatively small and requires replication in larger groups; causal directionality is not clear; maternal behaviors were measured by subjective reports; and VBM has limited ability to interpret microstructural/functional nature of findings.
- The paper notes the sample included healthy mothers of healthy infants in supportive environments, so mothers with genetic/environmental risk factors may show different patterns.
- The paper states other factors should be monitored in future studies, including hormones, pregnancy stress, menstrual cycle changes, hydration, weight, and nutritional status; it also suggests future studies include pregnancy baseline scans and comparisons with age-matched women without parenting experience.
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0 of 43 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The positive thoughts on parenting did not significantly predict the gray matter changes in the same region.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Results
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The mother’s positive perception of her baby at Time 1 significantly predicted gray matter volume change from Time 1 to Time 2 in a cluster of the midbrain including hypothalamus, amygdala, and substantia nigra, controlling for parenting experience and scan interval, β = .44, p = .01”
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
“Increased gray matter volume in the midbrain including the hypothalamus, substantia nigra, and amygdala was associated with maternal positive perception of her baby.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Results
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“No brain region showed a decrease in gray matter volumes from Time 1 to Time 2, p < .05 (FDR corrected), > 100 voxels.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Results
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Optimized whole brain VBM analyses revealed that from Time 1 (2–4 weeks postpartum) to Time 2 (3–4 months postpartum), mothers showed an increase in gray matter volume in a number of brain regions including superior, middle and inferior prefrontal cortex, precentral and postcentral gyrus, superior and inferior parietal lobe, insula and thalamus, p < .05 (FDR corrected), > 100 voxels”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Results
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Several key maternal motivation and behavior regions including bilateral hypothalamus, amygdala, substantia nigra, and globus pallidus showed increases in gray matter volume during the early postpartum period.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Thus, interactions with the infant during the first postpartum months may be associated with the increased gray matter volumes in the hypothalamus, substantia nigra, globus pallidus, and amygdala”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“With this caveat in mind, we consider that the current group differences in the VBM measure indicate an increase in regional gray matter volume.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These results suggest that the first months of motherhood in humans are accompanied by structural changes in brain regions implicated in maternal motivation and behaviors.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Thus, the mother’s positive feelings on her baby may facilitate the increased levels of gray matter volume.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Thus, interactions with the infant during the first postpartum months may be associated with the increased gray matter volumes in the hypothalamus, substantia nigra, globus pallidus, and amygdala may help the mothers activate their maternal motivation and respond to infant cues.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Probably not a substantial claim. 27
- It may state two separate claims as one. 12
In the paper
“An increase in gray matter volumes was also found in the right substantia nigra, a key region of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system responsible for processing reward signals”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Schultz, Dayan, & Montague, 1997
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Activations of the amygdala, particularly the medial amygdala, inhibit maternal responses to pup in virgin rats.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Finally, our findings on the plasticity of the parental brain demonstrate normative changes among human mothers since the sample included healthy mothers of healthy infants who lived in supportive environments.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The sample of healthy mothers of healthy infants living in supportive environments is representative of normative human mothers.
In the paper
“The prefrontal cortex is involved in integrating these information and monitoring parental behaviors”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Afonso, Sison, Lovic, & Fleming, 2007
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“However, animal studies suggest that once mothers are exposed to their offspring, such pathways involving the medial amygdala may be a key to consolidating maternal learning about the infant”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Fleming, Gavarth, & Sarker, 1992
- Not checked yetcites Mayes, 2006
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“In human mothers, recent functional MRI (fMRI) brain studies have reported that many of these brain regions including substantia nigra, amygdala, thalamus, parietal cortex, and prefrontal cortex were activated in response to infant-related stimuli, supporting the role of these brain areas for the development and expression of parenting behaviors”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Lenzi et al., 2008
- Not checked yetcites Lorberbaum et al., 2002
- Not checked yetcites Noriuchi et al., 2008
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“This increase may be attributed to enlarged neuropil, neuronal size, or extended dendritic, or axonal arborization”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Ashburner & Friston, 2001
- Not checked yetcites Draganski & May, 2008
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Statistical significance was defined using a whole-brain false-discovery-rate (FDR) of 5% (p < .05) and an extent threshold of 100 voxels after multiple comparison correction”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Methods > Voxel-Based Morphometry Longitudinal Analysis
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Genovese, Lazar, & Nichols, 2002
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“The animal literature underlines the importance of these structures for parenting and lesions in the hypothalamus including MPOA impairs maternal motivation and in the MPOA regions increase the likelihood of infanticide”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Flannelly et al., 1986
- Not checked yetcites Novakova et al., 1993
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“First, although the findings are in accord with animal literature, the study has a relatively small sample size and requires replication in larger groups.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Third, although VBM is an increasingly widely used tool to examine changes in brain structure among healthy and clinical population (Good et al., 2001; Rüsch et al., 2003), interpreting the microstructural and functional nature of the findings is limited.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Thus, it is possible that the increase in gray matter volumes in the PFC reported here is associated with the mothers’ adaptation to orchestrate a new and increased repertoire of complex interactive behaviors with infants during the early postpartum.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“For example, the amount of experience interacting with their pups was correlated with enhanced c-fos expression and cortical representation in the hypothalamus (MPOA), basolateral amygdala, parietal cortex and prefrontal cortex of rat mothers”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Featherstone et al., 2000
- Not checked yetcites Fleming & Korsmit, 1996
- Not checked yetcites Kinsley et al., 1999
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“The ventral pallidum, a part of the globus pallidus, receives inputs from substantia nigra and regulates motor activities and behavioral reactivity”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Nestler, 2001
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Second, although our finding suggest that experience with infants during the first few months is associated with structural development in brain areas that are important for parental motivation and behaviors, the causal directionality is not clear.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Parenting experience (primiparous = −0.5; multiparous = 0.5) and scan interval were included as a control variable.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Methods > Voxel-Based Morphometry Longitudinal Analysis
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“although the findings are in accord with animal literature”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Animal studies have shown that increased interactions with pups over time during the early postpartum period lead to structural changes in the maternal brain.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Featherstone et al., 2000
- Not checked yetcites Fleming & Korsmit, 1996
- Not checked yetcites Kinsley et al., 1999
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Finally, amygdala activations has been found to be important for maternal behaviors in rodents and nonhuman primates”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Kling & Steklis, 1976
- Not checked yetcites Sheehan et al., 2001
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Also, we measure maternal behaviors based on mothers’ subjective reports.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Structural reorganization in the MPOA was also found to be sensitive to postpartum experience; the increased amount of interactions with pups was associated with greater density in MPOA in rat mothers”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Featherstone et al., 2000
- Not checked yetcites Fleming & Korsmit, 1996
- Not checked yetcites Lonstein et al., 1998
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“For example, lesion studies have shown that the medial preoptic areas (MPOA), located in the rostral hypothalamus, and its connections with the mesolimbic dopamine system for reward processing play a critical role in maternal motivation”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Numan & Insel, 2003
- Not checked yetcites Swain et al., 2004
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Hypothalamus and globus pallidus have previously been implicated in maternal responses to infant stimuli in humans”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Bartels & Zeki, 2004
- Not checked yetcites Lorberbaum et al., 2002
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“The thalamus, parietal cortex, and brainstem also serve important functions for the processing of infant-related sometosensory information, such as smell, touch, and vocalizations”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Xerri, Stern, & Merzenich, 1994
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Cronbach’s alpha value for the reliability was .78 for positive thoughts on baby, and .85 for positive thoughts on parenting.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Methods > Mothers’ Subjective Perception on Parenting and Baby
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Moreover, these changes in the parietal cortex only occurred when mothers interacted with their pups but not when they were only exposed to the pups’ smells or sounds”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Fleming & Korsmit, 1996
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Other factors such as changes in menstrual cycles (Protopopescu et al., 2008) or in hydration, weight and nutritional status (Castro-Fornieles et al., 2009; Raji et al., 2010) may also produce alterations in the brain structure.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Protopopescu et al., 2008
- Not checked yetcites Castro-Fornieles et al., 2009
- Not checked yetcites Raji et al., 2010
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Afonso and colleagues (2007) found that mother rats with medial prefrontal cortex lesions exhibited deficits in a certain maternal behaviors such as pup retrievals and licking behavior, but not in nest building or pup mouthing.”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Afonso et al., 2007
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Animal studies demonstrate that hormones including estrogen, oxytocin, and prolactin act in several brain areas to activate maternal behaviors in response to infant-related stimuli (Pedersen, Caldwell, Peterson, Walker, & Mason, 1992; Wamboldt & Insel, 1987) and changes in these hormones during the early postpartum period affect anatomical changes (Rosenblatt, 2002).”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Pedersen et al., 1992
- Not checked yetcites Wamboldt & Insel, 1987
- Not checked yetcites Rosenblatt, 2002
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“greater activations in frontal regions including superior and middle frontal gyrus (BA 9, 10) and medial frontal guys (BA8) have been found in almost every fMRI study of human mothers’ responses to infant stimuli”
§ The Plasticity of Human Maternal Brain: Longitudinal Changes in Brain Anatomy During the Early Postpartum Period > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Swain et al., 2007
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper relies on this without support.
The hypothesis that similar structural changes occur in the brain of human mothers during the early postpartum period has not been rigorously tested in human mothers yet.
“However, this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested in human mothers yet.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The sample of healthy mothers of healthy infants living in supportive environments is representative of normative human mothers.
“our findings on the plasticity of the parental brain demonstrate normative changes among human mothers since the sample included healthy mothers of healthy infants who lived in supportive environments.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Given data from human (Kim et al., 2010) and animal (Olazábal et al., 2013) studies that there is significant maternal neurobiological reorganization during the postpartum period”
From Investigating the association between parental reflective functioning and distress tolerance in motherhood. (2015) · cites this paper as Kim et al., 2010
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Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Noriuchi citation year differs from the reference list
MinorThe discussion cites Noriuchi et al. as 2007, but the paper's Noriuchi reference is dated 2008.
“(Bartels & Zeki, 2004; Noriuchi et al., 2007)”
“32. Noriuchi M Kikuchi Y Senoo A 2008 The functional neuroanatomy of maternal love: Mother’s response to infant’s attachment behaviors”
Ashburner and Friston citation year differs from the reference list
MinorThe discussion cites Ashburner and Friston as 2001, but their listed reference is dated 2000.
“(Ashburner & Friston, 2001; Draganski & May, 2008)”
“2. Ashburner J Friston KJ 2000 Voxel-based morphometry–the methods”
Citations
Cites
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A neural substrate of prediction and reward
Schultz, W., Dayan, P., & Montague, P. R. (1997) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.275.5306.1593 · Cited by 9,388
Voxel-Based Morphometry—The Methods
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Timpano, K. R., Abramowitz, J. S., Mahaffey, B., Mitchell, M. A., & Schmidt, N. B. (2011) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.06.015 · Cited by 58
Metadata
- Authors
- Kim, P., Leckman, J. F., Mayes, L. C., Feldman, R., Wang, X., & Swain, J. E.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Anna Freud Centre (GB)
- Bar-Ilan University (IL)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 124
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 695-700
- ISSN
- 0735-7044 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-0084
- PMC
- PMC4318549
- OpenAlex
- W2056013081
- Semantic Scholar
- 996106f68fbd3825c0c374603813bf36b4711121
- Cited by
- 440
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 47 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 23.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Behavioral Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Cornell University
- US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (2005–273)
- Institute for the Study of Unlimited Love
- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
- National Institute of Mental Health (K05MH076273)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (5K05DA020091)
- Associates of the Yale Child Study Center
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- maternal brain, postpartum period, gray matter volume, neuroplasticity, maternal behavior, prefrontal cortex, parietal lobe, midbrain, hypothalamus, amygdala, substantia nigra, maternal motivation, longitudinal brain changes
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Maternal Behavior, Neuronal Plasticity, Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated, Postpartum Period
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-09, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-09 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
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