Pregnancy shrinks parts of the brain, leaving ‘permanent etchings’ postpartum

Pregnancy may cause more than 80% of the brain’s gray matter to shrink, leaving “permanent etchings.”

That’s what researchers found when a pregnant neuroscientist underwent more than two dozen brain scans throughout her pregnancy and for two years postpartum. After pregnancy, the new mom regained some gray matter, which includes both the cell bodies of neurons and the connections between them. But much seemed to be gone for good.

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