Becoming a mother: An integrative model of adaptations for motherhood during pregnancy and the postpartum period

During pregnancy, the brain experiences important adaptations that prepare women for the challenges of motherhood. Specifically, previous studies have revealed that the social cognition brain network of pregnant women undergoes systematic modifications, which persist for at least two years after childbirth, contributing to how mothers relate with their babies. The EU-funded BEMOTHER project will develop a model of adaptations that occur in women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The project plans to establish when and how the brain is reorganised during pregnancy, the neuropsychological changes during this period, as well as identify the hormonal mediators that may participate in this brain reorganisation. The ultimate aim of the project is to integrate the neural, neuropsychological and metabolomic findings into a model of the development of maternal behaviour.