The researchers found sweeping changes in overall brain neuroanatomy which unfolded week by week during the pregnancy.
Inside Chrastil’s brain, grey matter volume, cortical thickness, white matter microstructure, and ventricle volume all changed.
The changes were all over the brain too — “over 80% of my brain regions showed reductions in grey matter volume,” Chrastil said.
Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. Published by Pritschet, L., Taylor, C.M., Cossio, D. et al. in Nature Neuroscience (September 2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-024-01741-0
The changes were all over the brain too — “over 80% of my brain regions showed reductions in grey matter volume,” Chrastil said.
Grey matter is brain tissue with high concentrations of neuron cell bodies, where information is processed. Reductions in grey matter volume are sometimes associated with reduced memory and cognitive function.
However, the study authors say a reduction in grey matter during pregnancy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s more like a wave of brain refinement as the brain prepares for motherhood — like the process of chiseling a block of marble into a sculpture.
Seems like an overly positive framing of the effect.
Cool.
At this point, I wish there was a wiki for things that can rewire one’s brain. Ya know, beyond everyday experiences. This is hardly the only experience which does, and a database should be created of what can, how, why, etc.
Makes me wonder if sticking your head in an MRI every couple weeks would rewire your brain…
Probably not, given how they work, and that’s a good thing.
just having to go into an MRI tube every couple weeks without it turned on would probably rewire your brain a little bit. that’s not a comfortable place to be mentally.