The Father’s Brain during the Transition to Parenthood
The transition to parenthood can be an exciting time, but also a time filled with many changes in sleep, physical habits, and overall stress. Because of the importance of this period, becoming a parent has been deemed a critical window for determining future health outcomes for parents. Much of the existing research focuses solely on the mother during this critical window. However, evaluating the role of fathers provides an interesting perspective as they do not directly experience pregnancy, and are generally understudied. This will allow public health officials to enact better guidelines to best support fathers during this transition.
This study assessed whether the transition to fatherhood was associated with changes in the father’s brain structure. They assessed different facets of brain structure including cortical volume (the number of neurons, dendrites, and glial cells), thickness, area, and volume of brain regions below the cerebral cortex. It is important to measure these brain regions because they have been associated with different capabilities that may assist in parenting, such as attentiveness to an infant. For example, in females, previous research has demonstrated that there are structural changes in regions below the cerebral cortex that are associated with aspects of parental behavior maintained in mammals such as awareness of an infant’s signals and attachment to an infant. It is thought that these characteristics allow one to be a reliable parent and evolutionarily help keep an offspring alive.
This study assessed whether the transition to fatherhood was associated with changes in the father’s brain structure. They assessed different facets of brain structure including cortical volume (the number of neurons, dendrites, and glial cells), thickness, area, and volume of brain regions below the cerebral cortex. It is important to measure these brain regions because they have been associated with different capabilities that may assist in parenting, such as attentiveness to an infant. For example, in females, previous research has demonstrated that there are structural changes in regions below the cerebral cortex that are associated with aspects of parental behavior maintained in mammals such as awareness of an infant’s signals and attachment to an infant. It is thought that these characteristics allow one to be a reliable parent and evolutionarily help keep an offspring alive.
Fathers may experience changes in their brains as they transition to parents, despite not physically experiencing pregnancy.
Image Source: Anna Shvets
To better understand the types of brain changes that fathers experience, the authors looked at right-handed, first-time fathers that were transitioning to parenthood and captured their brain scans before their child was born and after the birth of their child. They utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to capture images of the brain of 40 fathers from Spain and the United States, along with a control group of 17 fathers.
Overall, researchers found that fathers showed cortical volume reductions after entering into parenthood. Both Spanish and American fathers showed volume reductions within the default mode network, a brain network that may support parents’ ability to connect with their infants. Additionally, mothers have been observed to experience brain volume reductions that are coupled with greater neural activations toward the newborns. Similarly, brain volume reductions in fathers were associated with positive adaptations to parenthood. These neuroplastic changes may assist a father in child rearing, as they may increase their attention span.
Despite the interesting findings, the authors presented some limitations to the study along with further recommendations. One drawback is that the study acquired participants independently from each other (Spain and the United States) and therefore differed in culture, language, demographics, recruitment, and the MRI environment. Additionally, the sample of fathers assessed was quite small, with only 20 fathers from the United States and 17 from Spain. Further, the authors were unable to overlap their findings in brain changes with parenting, hormone levels, parental investment, or the father-child relationship. Preventing readers from fully appreciating how fathers parent a child. Despite these limitations, however, these findings illuminate exciting conclusions on how fathers are transformed cognitively during parenthood, despite not physically carrying a pregnancy. Further work with fathers that are the primary caregiver or non-heterosexual fathers can continue to expand upon how different components of the parental brain may be tied to different types of parenting experiences.
Overall, researchers found that fathers showed cortical volume reductions after entering into parenthood. Both Spanish and American fathers showed volume reductions within the default mode network, a brain network that may support parents’ ability to connect with their infants. Additionally, mothers have been observed to experience brain volume reductions that are coupled with greater neural activations toward the newborns. Similarly, brain volume reductions in fathers were associated with positive adaptations to parenthood. These neuroplastic changes may assist a father in child rearing, as they may increase their attention span.
Despite the interesting findings, the authors presented some limitations to the study along with further recommendations. One drawback is that the study acquired participants independently from each other (Spain and the United States) and therefore differed in culture, language, demographics, recruitment, and the MRI environment. Additionally, the sample of fathers assessed was quite small, with only 20 fathers from the United States and 17 from Spain. Further, the authors were unable to overlap their findings in brain changes with parenting, hormone levels, parental investment, or the father-child relationship. Preventing readers from fully appreciating how fathers parent a child. Despite these limitations, however, these findings illuminate exciting conclusions on how fathers are transformed cognitively during parenthood, despite not physically carrying a pregnancy. Further work with fathers that are the primary caregiver or non-heterosexual fathers can continue to expand upon how different components of the parental brain may be tied to different types of parenting experiences.
Featured Image Source: Tatiana Syrikova
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