Less can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pawluski, Jodi L.; Hoekzema, Elseline; Leuner, Benedetta; Lonstein, Joseph S.
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Volume 133(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: Brain imaging -- Cortex -- Hippocampus -- Neurogenesis -- Neuroimmunology -- Neuroplasticity -- Maternal behavior -- Maternal brain -- Motherhood -- Glia -- Pregnancy -- Postpartum; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Behavior -- Periodicals; Ethology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiologie -- Périodiques; Comportement humain -- Périodiques; Animaux -- Mœurs et comportement -- Périodiques; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Animal behavior; Human behavior; Neurology; Psychophysiology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.045
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-7634

Abstract

Highlights: Motherhood involves widespread changes in structure, function, and neural/glial plasticity. This plasticity often involves regressive events refining maternal neurocircuitry. Brain plasticity underlies mothers' physiology, behavior, and health. How these brain changes promote the transition to motherhood remains to be determined. Maternal experience needs to be considered when studying the female brain. Abstract: PAWLUSKI, J.L., Hoekzema, E., Leuner, B., and Lonstein, J.S. Less can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV (129) XXX-XXX, 2022. Plasticity in the female brain across the lifespan has recently become a growing field of scientific inquiry. This has led to the understanding that the transition to motherhood is marked by some of the most significant changes in brain plasticity in the adult female brain. Perhaps unexpectedly, plasticity occurring in the maternal brain often involves a decrease in brain volume, neurogenesis and glial cell density that presumably optimizes caregiving and other postpartum behaviors. This review summarizes what we know of the 'fine-tuning' of the female brain that accompanies motherhood and highlights the implications of these changes for maternal neurobehavioral health. The first part of the review summarizes structural and functional brain changes in humans during pregnancy and postpartum period with the remainder of the review focusing on neural and glial plasticity during the peripartum period in animal models. The aim of this review is to provide a clear understanding of when 'less is more' in maternal brain plasticity and where future research can focus to improve our understanding of the unique brain plasticity occurring during matrescence.