A new baby can change the layout of the whole house. Changes from sleep to eating patterns are also seen in your health, even if you don’t realize it. Previous research has shown that motherhood can change the structure of women’s brains. This time, research was done on fathers. Researchers from the Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid found that first-time fathers lose a percent or two of cortical volume after their child is born.
THE RESEARCH WAS DONE BEFORE PREGNANCY AND AFTER DELIVERY
In the study, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the brains of 40 heterosexual fathers for the first time. Half of the fathers lived in Spain and had their spouses undergo brain scans again before their pregnancy and a few months after birth. The other half were US resident and attended brain scans in their partner’s mid-to-late stages of pregnancy and then seven to eight months postpartum. Meanwhile, the brains of 17 childless men in Spain were also scanned as a control group.
CHANGES HAVE BEEN SEEN IN THE SOCIAL SECTION OF THE BRAIN
Using the scans, the researchers measured the volume, thickness and structural features of the men’s brains. The results revealed that men did not experience changes in their limbic subcortical networks like women. However, they showed signs of brain changes in their cortical gray matter — the area of the brain involved in social understanding. They also showed reductions in the volume of their visual systems.
IT MAY BE EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH BABIES
While the reason for this remains unclear, the researchers suggest that the change could make it easier for fathers to connect with their children. “These findings may suggest a unique role of the visual system in helping fathers recognize their infants and respond accordingly, a hypothesis that will be validated by future studies,” the researchers said. ‘Understanding how structural changes associated with paternity translate into parenting and child outcomes is a largely unexplored topic and provides exciting avenues for future research.’