Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
What Pregnancy does to the Brain
947 What Pregnancy does to the Brain
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr David Niesel.
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog
To understand changes in the brain during pregnancy, a neuroscientist chose to be regularly scanned with an MRI throughout her pregnancy.
Dr. Elizabeth Chrastil, who co-authored a study of the findings was scanned three weeks before conceiving, during pregnancy, and for two years after her son was born in two thousand twenty.
The MRI scans and blood samples taken every few weeks revealed her brain underwent widespread reorganization. Some changes were short-lived and others lasted years.
There are increases in plasma volume, metabolic rate, oxygen consumption and immune regulation. Much of the change is driven by the thousandfold surges in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
Those hormones also reshape the central nervous system, especially areas of the brain that promote maternal behavior. Past studies have shown that the brain’s grey matter volume drops after the baby is born.
Grey matter is key in processing information, governing muscle control, sensory perception, and decision-making. These grey matter volume changes can still be seen up to six years after the mother delivers and remain traceable for decades.
It’s possible the brain is preparing the mother by honing for example her vision and hearing so that she’s able to respond to her baby’s cries and needs.
Studies like these may help us predict outcomes such as post-partum depression and other pregnancy associated complications so we can target treatments for women who need it.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast. Sign up for expanded print episodes at www.illuminascicom.com
