GoKawiilNew book 'A Mother's Brain' details neuroscience of pregnancy-related brain changes
Neuroscientist Susana Carmona's book, published by MIT Press, examines how pregnancy alters brain structure and function, including changes to the hippocampus linked to memory. The review, written by a fellow neuroscientist, recounts her own research beginning in 2000 on hippocampal volume changes during pregnancy and describes lasting effects that persist beyond childbirth.
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The reviewer suggests that scientific and cultural attention has historically focused on babies and pregnant bodies rather than on mothers' cognitive and neurological experiences after birth, leaving many new parents without explanations for changes like memory lapses. Carmona's research, as described here, could help validate these experiences and push the field toward recognizing pregnancy as a significant neurological event with long-term consequences.
- Susana Carmona's book 'A Mother's Brain' explores how pregnancy reshapes brain structure and function.
- Research dating back to 2000 has linked pregnancy to changes in hippocampal volume, a brain region tied to memory.
- The reviewer argues scientific literature has historically under-addressed maternal brain changes compared with infant-focused research.
A Mother's Brain by Susana Carmona — This new MIT Press release dives deep into the neuroscience behind pregnancy and the maternal brain, exactly the topic explored in the article. It's a great pick for anyone curious about the science of how childbirth reshapes cognition and identity.
See A Mother's Brain by Susana Carmona on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: nature.com — Galea, 2026-10-19
Published there as: “How pregnancy reshapes the brain throughout life”
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