Temporal dissociation between local and global functional adaptations of the maternal brain to childbirth: a longitudinal assessment.

ABSTRACT: The maternal brain undergoes significant reorganization during birth and the postpartum period. However, the temporal dynamics of these changes remain unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we report on local and global brain function alterations in 75 mothers in their first postpartum week, compared to 23 nulliparous women. In a subsample followed longitudinally for the next six months, we observed a temporal and spatial dissociation between changes observed at baseline (cluster mass permutation: pFWE < 0.05). Local activity and connectivity changes in widespread neocortical regions persisted throughout the studied time period (ANCOVAs vs. controls: pFDR < 0.05), with preliminary evidence linking these alterations to behavioral and psychological adaptations (i

SUBMITTER: Lotter LD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11473773 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature