Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy, 2024, Laura Pritschet et al

Abstract
Pregnancy is a period of profound hormonal and physiological changes experienced by millions of women annually, yet the neural changes unfolding in the maternal brain throughout gestation are not well studied in humans.

Leveraging precision imaging, we mapped neuroanatomical changes in an individual from preconception through 2 years postpartum. Pronounced decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness were evident across the brain, standing in contrast to increases in white matter microstructural integrity, ventricle volume and cerebrospinal fluid, with few regions untouched by the transition to motherhood.

This dataset serves as a comprehensive map of the human brain across gestation, providing an open-access resource for the brain imaging community to further explore and understand the maternal brain.
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The authors point out that pregnancy is a period of profound hormonal and physiological changes.

The authors did something incredible by mapping neuroanatomical changes in an individual from preconception through two years postpartum.

- There were pronounced decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness.
- There were increases in white matter microstructural integrity, ventricle volume and cerebrospinal fluid.
- There were few regions untouched by the 'transition to motherhood.'

This study shows us how a single brain in a single person can be a powerful resource when scanned serially over time. This method is hard to pull off, however what it has the potential to teach us about neuroscience is very interesting.

The data provides a comprehensive map of the human brain across gestation.

It will be interesting to add to the dataset, so we can understand changes across multiple persons and multiple conditions. The convergence of evidence is revealing that pregnancy as associated with dramatic neuroplasticity.

Incredible that this 38-year-old woman who underwent 26 MRI scans along with blood draws from 3 weeks preconception through 2 years postpartum!