It is well known how parenting, and motherhood in particular, affects the structure and function of the brain in the short term. Mothers' brains change immediately after pregnancy and in the post-natal period, and these changes are concentrated in the areas of the brain that are better able to understand the needs of others, i.e. those areas related to empathy and theory of mind. 
But what are its long-term effects? And what are the implications for the well-being of mothers and fathers?

A team of researchers co-ordinated by Valentina Rotondi, a researcher at SUPSI Competence centre for care, health and society (CARES) , and funded by the Fidinam Foundation sought to answer these questions using data from the UKBiobank, a database containing brain imaging information of individuals aged 45 to 82.

The investigation revealed clear differences between mothers and childless women even five decades after birth, with an increase in grey matter density in mothers compared to a reduction observed in previous longitudinal studies. These increases are distributed across multiple brain regions, particularly in the occipital and frontal lobes. 
The results support the hypothesis of a U-shaped pattern of grey matter changes during mothers' reproductive lives: an initial decline followed by a subsequent increase that exceeds the initial reduction. This suggests that motherhood may exert a protective effect against age-related grey matter loss.

In contrast, analysis of the UK BioBank dataset did not show a significant association between paternity and grey matter density, suggesting possible gender-related differences or lower involvement of fathers in childcare.

Research has also documented a positive correlation between parenthood and cognitive well-being, with a stronger sense of meaning in life among parents than among non-parents. However, structural brain changes do not appear to be the main mechanism by which parenthood elevates the sense of meaning.

The research was recently published in Scientific Reports, an open access journal that publishes original research in all areas of the natural sciences, psychology, medicine and engineering, and can be accessed here.