How second pregnancies change the brain
New imaging findings detail how women’s brains change during their second pregnancy, revealing the unique alterations in networks related to attention and response.
Previous research has detailed neural changes women experience during their first pregnancy. But until now, whether those changes persist or evolve during additional pregnancies has not been explored. Recently, through repeated MRI scans, researchers from Amsterdam University Medical Center discovered that, similar to first pregnancies, second pregnancies alter the brain’s default mode network, though these changes are a bit different the second time around.
“It appears that during a second pregnancy, the brain is more strongly altered in networks involved in reacting to sensory cues and in controlling your attention”, explained researcher Milou Straathof, who analyzed the data. “These processes may be beneficial when caring for multiple children.”
The study involved 110 women, some of whom were second time mothers, some first timers and some who had not yet had children. Each participant underwent an MRI of the brain so that researchers could compare the gray matter volume, white matter tracts and functional neural network organization from each group.
Women who were pregnant with their second child at the time of their imaging showed alterations in the default mode network, particularly in the dorsal attention and somatomotor network including the corticospinal tract. This points to enhanced plasticity within these networks, the investigators suggested.
Researchers also observed a difference in changes to parts of the brain that reflect the bond between a mother and child. These changes were more pronounced in women who were pregnant with their first child compared to those in their second pregnancies, which, as Straathof indicated, is likely a sign of mothers’ attention being more divided when caring for another child while pregnant.
“These findings demonstrate that the human brain is altered across a second pregnancy, involving changes in gray matter structure, white matter tracts and resting-state brain activity, and show that both a first and second pregnancy confer a unique mark on a woman’s brain,” the group concluded.
Read more here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.