<p>Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland found that the brains of new mothers bulked up as they coped with the steep learning curve of dealing with a newborn. And mothers who gushed the most about their babies showed the greatest growth in key parts of the brain. <br /><br />For their study, the researchers scanned the brains of 19 women of whom 10 gave birth to boys and nine delivered girls. A comparison of images taken two to four weeks and three to four months after the women gave birth showed that grey matter volume increased by a small but significant amount in various parts of the brain, the Telegraph reported.<br /><br />Such changes usually only occur after intense periods of learning or a brain injury or illness.<br />The researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Behavioural Neuroscience, speculated that “hormone levels and the need to cope with the challenges of a baby led to the increase in brain cells”.<br /><br />The brain areas that grew involve motivation, reasoning, judgement, the processing of emotions and feelings of satisfaction, and are key to the mother-child relationship.<br />The expansion in the brain’s “motivation area”, called hypothalamus, could lead to more nurturing, which would help babies survive and thrive physically, emotionally and cognitively.<br /></p>
<p>Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland found that the brains of new mothers bulked up as they coped with the steep learning curve of dealing with a newborn. And mothers who gushed the most about their babies showed the greatest growth in key parts of the brain. <br /><br />For their study, the researchers scanned the brains of 19 women of whom 10 gave birth to boys and nine delivered girls. A comparison of images taken two to four weeks and three to four months after the women gave birth showed that grey matter volume increased by a small but significant amount in various parts of the brain, the Telegraph reported.<br /><br />Such changes usually only occur after intense periods of learning or a brain injury or illness.<br />The researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Behavioural Neuroscience, speculated that “hormone levels and the need to cope with the challenges of a baby led to the increase in brain cells”.<br /><br />The brain areas that grew involve motivation, reasoning, judgement, the processing of emotions and feelings of satisfaction, and are key to the mother-child relationship.<br />The expansion in the brain’s “motivation area”, called hypothalamus, could lead to more nurturing, which would help babies survive and thrive physically, emotionally and cognitively.<br /></p>
