Cortical Thickness Variation of the Maternal Brain in the First 6 Months Postpartum: Associations with Parental Self-Efficacy
Publication Date
9-2018
Document Type
Article
Organizational Units
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology
Keywords
Postpartum, Cortical thickness, Brain plasticity, New mothers
Abstract
The postpartum period is associated with structural and functional plasticity in brain regions involved in parenting. While one study identified an increase in gray matter volume during the first 4 months among new mothers, little is known regarding the relationship between cortical thickness across postpartum months and perceived adjustment to parenthood. In this study of 39 socioeconomically diverse first-time new mothers, we examined the relations among postpartum months, cortical thickness, and parental self-efficacy. We identified a positive association between postpartum months and cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex including the superior frontal gyrus extending into the medial frontal and orbitofrontal gyri, in the lateral occipital gyrus extending into the inferior parietal and fusiform gyri, as well as in the caudal middle frontal and precentral gyri. The relationship between cortical thickness and parental self-efficacy was specific to the prefrontal regions. These findings contribute to our understanding of the maternal brain in the first 6 months postpartum and provide evidence of a relationship between brain structure and perceived adjustment to parenthood.
Copyright Date
5-31-2018
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Rights Holder
Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature
Provenance
Received from CHORUS
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
11 pgs
File Size
946 KB
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. User is responsible for all copyright compliance. This article was originally published as:
Kim, P., Dufford, A. J., & Tribble, R. C. (2018). Cortical thickness variation of the maternal brain in the first 6 months postpartum: Associations with parental self-efficacy. Brain Structure & Function, 223(7), 3267–3277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-018-1688-z
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Publication Title
Brain Structure and Function
Volume
223
Issue
7
First Page
3267
Last Page
3277
ISSN
1863-2661
PubMed ID
29855765
Recommended Citation
Kim, P., Dufford, A. J., & Tribble, R. C. (2018). Cortical thickness variation of the maternal brain in the first 6 months postpartum: Associations with parental self-efficacy. Brain Structure & Function, 223(7), 3267–3277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-018-1688-z