Cognition and Neuroplasticity During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Many physiological changes occur during pregnancy and in the postpartum, including dramatic fluctuations in circulating hormones. These changes affect the maternal brain on behavioral, molecular and cellular levels. Pregnancy in the short- and long-term influences cognition in both humans and rodents, with both improvements and declines seen in different types of memory dependent on the stage of pregnancy or postpartum. In addition to changes in cognition, brain changes during pregnancy and the postpartum are discussed. In particular, we focus on the hippocampus, a brain area important for certain forms of memory, that is plastic in adulthood, and is affected by reproductive experience. Pregnancy experience influences neuroplasticity, including the production and survival of new neurons in the hippocampus, known as neurogenesis. Lastly, the long-term impacts of reproductive experience on the hippocampus and cognition are discussed.