- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- pregnancy today articles
- pregnancy today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Pregnancy May Make You Smarter
After hearing about studies that found brain shrinkage, memory loss and poor learning ability during pregnancy, some good news about the pregnant woman's brain is finally here. A new study of animals showed that hormones released during pregnancy and breastfeeding actually dramatically enhance parts of the brain involved in learning and memory, according to researchers at a Society for Neuroscience meeting. This may help in understanding the effects that higher hormone levels have on the brain during childbearing.
Neuroscientist researchers at
the University of Richmond and Randolph Macon College in Virginia suggested that a pregnant animal's
behavior changes because of a permanent shift in the brain. Special brain cell structures called
dendrites, which are necessary for communication between neurons, doubled in pregnant and breastfeeding
lab mice. Simultaneously, the number of the brain's glial cells, which act as communication conductors,
doubled.
Researchers say the pregnant mice were bolder, more inquisitive and energetic. They learned mazes more quickly, made less mistakes and retained their newfound knowledge longer. The effects appeared to be long-lasting.
