Journal article
Neuroprotective Effects of Motherhood on Brain Function in Late Life: A Resting-State fMRI Study
ER Orchard, PGD Ward, S Chopra, E Storey, GF Egan, SD Jamadar
Cerebral Cortex | OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC | Published : 2021
Abstract
The maternal brain undergoes structural and functional plasticity during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Little is known about functional plasticity outside caregiving-specific contexts and whether changes persist across the lifespan. Structural neuroimaging studies suggest that parenthood may confer a protective effect against the aging process; however, it is unknown whether parenthood is associated with functional brain differences in late life. We examined the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and number of children parented in 220 healthy older females (73.82 ± 3.53 years) and 252 healthy older males (73.95 ± 3.50 years). We compared the patterns of resting..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function (CE140100007 to E.R.O., P.G.D.W., S.D.J., and G.F.E.); ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE150100406 to S.D.J.); National Health andMedical Research Council Fellowship (APP1174164 to SDJ); Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant (APP1086188 to ASPREE-Neuro); National Institutes of Health (grant number U01AG029824 to ASPREE); National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (grant numbers 334047, 1127060 to ASPREE); Monash University (Australia) (to ASPREE); Victorian Cancer Agency (Australia) (to ASPREE).