Research suggests mommy brain brings beneficial changes for mothers

9 articles · Updated · The Denver Post · May 10

University of Southern California and University of Colorado researchers say scans show changes in attention, empathy and default-mode networks, with some effects still partly present seven years after birth.
They say reduced gray matter can reflect greater efficiency and bonding rather than decline, though stronger changes have also been linked to worse sleep, depression and, in rare cases, postpartum psychosis.
Studies also suggest fathers' brains change after birth, especially in reading social cues, but researchers say evidence still has major gaps for adoptive, lesbian, transgender and nonbinary parents.

As fathers become more involved in childcare, are their brains physically changing to look more like mothers'?

Why does the brain's 'upgrade' for parenting also make new parents vulnerable to severe mental health crises?

Can AI analyze brain changes during pregnancy to predict a mother's risk of postpartum depression?