Abstract #3274

Brain structural plasticity associated with emotional processing in postpartum women: A longitudinal voxel-based morphometry study

Kaihua Zhang^1,2, Mengxing Wang², Xueyun Su³, Jilei Zhang², Junyao Xie¹, Haifeng Lu², Zhong Chen*¹, and Xiaoxia Du*²

¹Department of Electronic Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China, ²Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China, ³Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

Pregnancy constitutes a significant period in women’s lives, after which they often experience numerous physiological and psychological changes. However, structural changes in the brains of postpartum women remain unclear. To investigate these phenomena, we recruited forty-seven postpartum women to participate in a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study. Our results first suggest that brain structures in postpartum women show adaptive plasticity, especially regarding alterations in empathy-related regions, including grey matter volume, white matter volume, and cortical thickness, that can facilitate effective adaption and behavioural and emotional adjustments towards nurturing infants.

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