Pregnancy: 50 less shades of gray

Human Brain, Mid-Line Incision   (Public Domain)

Although sexuality might involve 50 shades of gray, it might also result in far less gray than before.

Researchers have determined that pregnant women undergo a significant loss of “gray matter in several brain areas involved in a process called social cognition… the ability to register and consider how other people perceive things.”

Perhaps this enables mothers to prioritize babies over the rest of society’s demands.

Scientists discovered that “mothers who lost more gray matter tended to be more emotionally attached to their baby.”  These cognition losses remained for approximately two years, until the babies became toddlers.

As children mature, maternal social cognition becomes more and more relevant.  After all, it takes a whole lot of gray matter to figure out what adolescence is all about.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/pregnancyparenting/pregnancy-changes-a-woman%E2%80%99s-brain-for-up-to-two-years-scientists-say/ar-AAlKuWm?ocid=ansmsnhealth11&OCID=ansmsnnews11

Copyright December 21, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved