Men and women are adjusting to being a new parent.
A dozen or so previous studies have shown that the structure of a person's brain can be changed by being a mother.
First-time fathers have been found to have neurological changes.
The study suggests that the neural substrates of parenthood are not limited to mothers. In a less pronounced and uniform way, men can be impacted by their new role as parents.
After the birth of their first child, new fathers lose some of their cortical volume.
The brain's default mode network is associated with parental acceptance and warmth.
A loss in cortical volume can be seen as a bad thing, but it can also be seen as a refinement of the brain that makes connecting with a child more efficient.
Neural responses to a child and stronger child- parent attachment are associated with similar cortical losses in mothers.
There have been studies that show subtle neurological changes in the male brain after the birth of a child, but the little evidence that has been collected has been mixed and conflicting.
Some studies show an increase in gray matter after a child is born. Childless men, first-time fathers, and fathers of multiple children are all implicated in different parts of the brain.
The new research is more thorough than others. It's based on data from 40 heterosexual first-time fathers, half of whom were based in Spain and the other half in the US.
The expectant fathers in Spain underwent brain scans before and after the birth of their children.
In the US, expectant fathers participate during the mid-to-late stages of their partners' pregnancies, and then again seven to eight months after the baby's birth.
A group of men with no children were included in the new research.
The volume, thickness, and structural properties of the male brain were compared by the two laboratories.
First-time fathers in the current study did not show any changes in their limbic subcortical network. It makes sense that this part of the brain is related to pregnancies.
Even though fathers aren't carrying their children as they grow and develop, it doesn't mean their brains aren't affected. Studies have shown that men can be affected by the same issues as women.
Brain plasticity in new mothers is more pronounced than it is in new fathers Even subtle neurological changes can be seen with brain scans.
In the current study, first-time fathers in Spain and California did not show any changes in their subcortical structure, which is associated with reward and motivation.
The researchers found that there were signs of brain plasticity in their cortical gray matter and that the visual system's volume had been reduced.
There is more research that needs to be done on this visual brain region and its role in parenthood.
The authors of the new paper wrote that the findings may suggest a unique role of the visual system in helping fathers to recognize their infants.
Understanding how the structural changes associated with parenthood translate into parenting and child outcomes is a largely unexplored topic.
The study was in the cerebral cortex.
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