ArticleBrain structure & function2018
Cortical thickness variation of the maternal brain in the first 6 months postpartum: associations with parental self-efficacy.
Article in Brain structure & function, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed.
- Selective attenuation of neural responses to own infant's face in early motherhood: a longitudinal magnetoencephalography study.Social cognitive and affective neuroscience · 2026Article
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding are associated with less later-life cognitive decline in a longitudinal, prospective cohort.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Protective role of parenthood on age-related brain function in mid- to late-life.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Women's intuition as attunement: a biological and social perspective.Frontiers in sociology · 2025Review
- Hormonal and structural transformations in the caregiver's brain: Examining themes in parental neurobiology.AIMS neuroscience · 2025Review
- Longitudinal neuroanatomical increases from early to one-year postpartum.Brain structure & function · 2024Article
- Bridging Neurobiological Insights and Clinical Biomarkers in Postpartum Depression: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Enduring maternal brain changes and their role in mediating motherhood's impact on well-being.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Pregnancy-induced oxidative stress and inflammation are not associated with impaired maternal neuronal activity or memory function.American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 2024Article
- Longitudinal Neuroanatomical Increases from Early to One-Year Postpartum.Research square · 2024Article
- Effects of reproductive experience on cost-benefit decision making in female rats.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2024Article
- Recalibration of the stress response system over adult development: Is there a perinatal recalibration period?Development and psychopathology · 2023Review
- Cellular and molecular signatures of motherhood in the adult and ageing rat brain.Open biology · 2023Article
- The maternal brain is more flexible and responsive at rest: effective connectivity of the parental caregiving network in postpartum mothers.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- First-time fathers show longitudinal gray matter cortical volume reductions: evidence from two international samples.Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · 2023Article
- Being a morning man has causal effects on the cerebral cortex: a Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Article
- Trait coping styles and the maternal neural and behavioral sensitivity to an infant.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Less can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2022Review
- Recent Neuroscience Advances in Human Parenting.Advances in neurobiology · 2022Article
- Sex Hormones, Sleep, and Memory: Interrelationships Across the Adult Female Lifespan.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Review
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3 authors.
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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.
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