Abstract / Summary
Abstract During pregnancy, structural brain changes occur in regions overlapping with brain regions involved in social cognition and mental state attribution. In this first pre-conception cohort study involving task-based fMRI, we examine changes in brain function in 110 women, including first-time mothers, second-time mothers, and a nulliparous control group during a social mentalizing task. Results showed significant increases in mentalizing-related fronto-parietal functional activity in first-time mothers after pregnancy relative to pre-conception and compared to a nulliparous control group. First-time mothers also displayed higher effective brain connectivity. Furthermore, the activity changes correlated with pregnancy hormone levels, task-based and subjective changes in mentalizing, and both observed and self-reported maternal behavior. A follow-up session 1 year postpartum suggested a partial reversal to pre-conception levels. The changes did not occur to the same extent in second-time mothers. These results indicate that becoming a mother renders changes in social brain function that relate to maternal care.