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Mommy Brain Revisited

Mommy Brain Revisited

By Dr. Jodi Pawluski

A podcast for parents, health care providers, scientists and anyone interested in current research on ‘mommy brain’ and brain changes with parenting. Talking with leading researchers in the field.

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45. Mom Power

Mommy Brain RevisitedDec 04, 2023

00:00
59:39
45. Mom Power
Dec 04, 202359:39
44. Neural Remodeling during Pregnancy

44. Neural Remodeling during Pregnancy

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Jonny Kohl, Group Leader, State-Dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.

We talk about his new research on how the hormones of pregnancy affect specific neurons in the MPOA that essential for parenting. It’s a fascinating new finding and provides valuable insight into the neuroendocrine factors governing parental care.

We also talk about whether or not we should be using reproductively experienced females more in general neuroscience research because of the long-term impact of pregnancy on the brain, the importance of state in general and practical considerations for doing these types of studies.

It’s a good one. You won’t want to miss it.

For more information on Dr Kohl and his group: https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/jonny-kohl

Here is a link to the paper we talk about: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi0576


Nov 06, 202339:50
43. Attachment and Neural Synchrony
Oct 05, 202354:13
42. Zuranolone
Sep 04, 202355:53
41. Fatherhood, Neurosteroids, and Fish
Jul 11, 202355:41
40. Mindfulness and the Parental Brain

40. Mindfulness and the Parental Brain

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Tara Chaplin, Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason University, USA. We talk about parenting, mindfulness, and the parental brain. We also talk about the importance of mindfulness in terms of parenting tweens and teens, how mindfulness helps empower parents to parent with intention (wow!), and her ongoing research in this area. Don’t miss this episode on Mommy Brain Revisited. It will make you want to be more mindful!


Download the publication that we talk about here: Affective Neural Mechanisms of a Parenting-Focused Mindfulness Intervention https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7962669/pdf/nihms-1525033.pdf


For more information on Dr Chaplin’s work: https://yel.gmu.edu/


Although the Mindfulness intervention they use is not readily available it is based on MBSR or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction techniques and other evidence based interventions.


Book recommendation: Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn.


Citation of study we talk about: Turpyn CC, Chaplin TM, Fischer S, Thompson JC, Fedota JR, Baer RA, Martelli AM. Affective Neural Mechanisms of a Parenting-Focused Mindfulness Intervention. Mindfulness (N Y). 2021 Feb;12(2):392-404. doi: 10.1007/s12671-019-01118-6. Epub 2019 Feb 16.


Jun 05, 202354:14
39. Oxytocin Neurons and Alloparenting

39. Oxytocin Neurons and Alloparenting

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Robert Froemke, Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Skirball Professor of Genetics, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at New York University. We talk about oxytocin neurons, learning to parent and alloparenting. We also talk about the importance of experience with offspring, making mistakes, and ‘mouse midwifery’. Don’t miss this episode on Mommy Brain. So interesting!

Download the publication in Nature that we talk about here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34381215/

For more information on Dr Froemke’s work: https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/robert-c-froemke

 

Citation: Carcea I, Caraballo NL, Marlin BJ, Ooyama R, Riceberg JS, Mendoza Navarro JM, Opendak M, Diaz VE, Schuster L, Alvarado Torres MI, Lethin H, Ramos D, Minder J, Mendoza SL, Bair-Marshall CJ, Samadjopoulos GH, Hidema S, Falkner A, Lin D, Mar A, Wadghiri YZ, Nishimori K, Kikusui T, Mogi K, Sullivan RM, Froemke RC. Oxytocin neurons enable social transmission of maternal behaviour. Nature. 2021 Aug;596(7873):553-557. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03814-7. Epub 2021 Aug 11. PMID: 34381215; PMCID: PMC8387235.

 

May 02, 202355:13
38. Mommy Brain in the USA
Apr 03, 202357:36
37. Pregnancy and the Brain 2.0

37. Pregnancy and the Brain 2.0

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Elseline Hoekzema, Assistant Professor, Adult Psychiatry and Amsterdam Neuroscience at Amsterdam University Medical Centers. We talk about her recent research published Nature Communications on how pregnancy impacts brain structure and function. This is a fascinating area of research!

Download the publication here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33884-8

For more information about Dr. Hoekzema see:  https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/research/researchers/elseline-a.-hoekzema.htm

Citation: Hoekzema, E., van Steenbergen, H., Straathof, M. et al. Mapping the effects of pregnancy on resting state brain activity, white matter microstructure, neural metabolite concentrations and grey matter architecture. Nat Commun 13, 6931 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33884-8


For more about Dr. Jodi Pawluski see: www.jodipawluski.com

Mar 01, 202325:39
36. It's Time To Rebrand 'Mommy Brain'

36. It's Time To Rebrand 'Mommy Brain'

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I read our viewpoint in JAMA Neurology titled "It's time to rebrand 'Mommy Brain'" published Feb 6, 2023 and authored by Dr Clare McCormack, Dr Bridget Callaghan and myself. 

We also talk about how we are rebranding 'Mommy Brain'. 

For the print version of the viewpoint see:  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2801288

Citation: McCormack C, Callaghan BL, Pawluski JL. It’s Time to Rebrand “Mommy Brain”. JAMA Neurol. Published online February 06, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.5180

Feb 06, 202321:38
35. Child Maltreatment and the Maternal Brain
Dec 09, 202249:48
34. After the Storm
Nov 09, 202249:46
33. The Perfect Storm: Understanding Perinatal Mental Illness
Oct 06, 202251:32
32. Milking It For All It's Worth

32. Milking It For All It's Worth

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Amanda Kentner a Full Professor at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the USA. We talk about her recent research published at eNeuro on the important role that enrichment can play in parenting and development. Don’t miss this episode on cutting edge research in behavioral neuroscience. So interesting!

Download the publication here: https://www.eneuro.org/content/9/4/ENEURO.0148-22.2022

For more information about Prof. Kentner’s research see https://www.kentnerlab.org/

Citations: DeRosa H, Caradonna SG, Tran H, Marrocco J, Kentner AC. Milking It for All It's Worth: The Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Maternal Nurturance, Lactation Quality, and Offspring Social Behavior. eNeuro. 2022 Aug 25;9(4):ENEURO.0148-22.2022. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0148-22.2022. PMID: 35995560.

Follow @dr.jodi_pawluski on instagram for more on how the brain changes with parenting. 

https://www.jodipawluski.com/


Sep 01, 202243:04
31. Memory Expertise in Pregnancy?

31. Memory Expertise in Pregnancy?

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Bridget Callaghan, an Assistant Professor at UCLA, about recent research she’s done on memory during pregnancy. Love this research! We talk about “baby brain”, hippocampal-dependent memory changes during pregnancy – what the data shows, how we need to think about memory and motherhood, and where research needs to go to understand memory changes during the perinatal period in birthing and non-birthing parents.

For more about her research see: https://brainandbodylab.psych.ucla.edu/

Mar 28, 202237:13
30. Adult-Infant Brain Synchrony and the Importance of Maternal Cues

30. Adult-Infant Brain Synchrony and the Importance of Maternal Cues

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Ruth Feldman, the Simms-Mann Professor of Developmental Social Neuroscience at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzlia with joint appointment at Yale Child Study Center. We talk about her recent research on neural synchrony and how maternal cues can aid in neural synchrony between strangers and infants. We also talk about the importance of understanding brain changes with perinatal mental illness and her ongoing research on the parental brain. 

Don’t miss this episode on cutting edge research from a leader in the field!

For more information about Dr. Feldman’s research see https://ruthfeldmanlab.com/


Jan 24, 202237:37
29. Fatherhood and the Brain

29. Fatherhood and the Brain

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. James Rilling a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University in the USA. We talk about his research on brain changes in human fathers. So cool! We also talk the interplay between oxytocin, testosterone, dad brain changes as well as tradeoffs between parenting and mating and more! Don’t miss this episode and share it with a dad near you.

For more information about Dr. Rilling’s research see: http://anthropology.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/rilling.html

For more about me see www.jodipawluski.com

Nov 12, 202142:07
28. Motherhood and Minding Your Microbes

28. Motherhood and Minding Your Microbes

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Siobhain O’Mahony a Senior Lecturer at University College Cork, Ireland. We talk about the the Brain-Gut axis (or axes) and the role of the gut microbiome in pregnancy and postpartum. We also talk about the role that stress can play on this system. She updates us on how birth mode may affect the developing microbiome in infants - something that's been in the news a lot the past few years - and we talk about practical ways to mind our microbiome. We could have talked all day! 

For more information about Dr. O’Mahony and her research: http://publish.ucc.ie/profiles/C003/somahony 

Sep 30, 202144:39
27. Motherhood and Brain Aging

27. Motherhood and Brain Aging

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Ann-Marie de Lange a Maitre-Assistant Ambizione FNS (Assistant Professor) at the Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, l'Universite de Lausanne, Switzerland. We talk about her research on motherhood and brain-aging in middle aged women. We also talk about the importance of understanding the female brain throughout life, not only in the context of motherhood but also with menopause and aging. And, no, you don’t have to parent to have an amazing brain. Don’t miss this episode on the brain and women’s health!

For more information about Dr. de Lange’s research click here https://www.unil.ch/lren/home/menuinst/teams-science/femilab---womens-brain-health.html

Aug 31, 202127:55
26. Sociocultural Stress and Maternal Mental Health

26. Sociocultural Stress and Maternal Mental Health

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Marquette University in the USA. We talk about her research on sociocultural stressors and maternal mental health in Latinx populations in the US. We talk about the impact of systemic racism and microaggressions on pre- and post-natal maternal mental health and how these factors affect physiological health. We also talk about how she is using community-engaged research to address perinatal mental health disparities in Latina women and their children. 

For more information about Dr. D'Anna-Hernandez's research listen now. You can also contact her at https://www.marquette.edu/psychology/directory/kimberly-danna-hernandez.php

Jul 29, 202144:41
25. Brain Activity from Pregnancy to Postpartum
Jun 25, 202143:57
24. Mom-Baby Neural Synchrony

24. Mom-Baby Neural Synchrony

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Victoria Leong an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and an Affiliated Lecturer at University of Cambridge in England. We talk about her research on neural synchrony between mother and child in relation to cognition and emotion. We also talk about the importance of understanding the parental and infant brain in the context of social interactions and the environment – outside of the lab. Don’t miss this episode on cutting edge research in social neuroscience!
For more information about Dr. Leong’s research click here .
May 14, 202153:16
23. Sleep and Motherhood
Mar 12, 202148:51
22. Postpartum Depression and the Amygdala
Feb 19, 202139:37
21. Oxytocin and Bonding
Jan 29, 202154:41
20. The Neurobiology of Postpartum Psychosis
Jan 07, 202152:52
19. The Neurons Essential For Parenting
Dec 03, 202053:44
18. Dopamine in the Postpartum
Nov 19, 202001:02:29
17. Stress and the Maternal Brain
Nov 05, 202059:59
16. Immune Changes in the Maternal Brain
Oct 22, 202039:60
15. Enduring Effects of Parenting on the Brain
Oct 08, 202046:20
14. Opioid Use and the Maternal Brain
Sep 24, 202057:50
13. Pregnancy and the Brain
Sep 10, 202037:08
12. Partner Loss and the Maternal Brain
Aug 27, 202045:27
11. Maternal Experience and the Ageing Maternal Brain
Aug 13, 202045:42
10. TIDA Neurons and Lactation: A focus on network activity
Jul 30, 202043:00
9. Postpartum Attention: An important component of Mommy Brain
Jul 16, 202053:22
8. Prolactin and the Maternal Brain: So much more than for lactation!
Jul 03, 202059:07
7. Fatherhood and the Hippocampus: Importance of interacting with kids
Jun 19, 202041:43
6. Matrescence and Adolescence: Which has a greater impact on the brain?
Jun 05, 202029:27
5. Mommy Brain during Pregnancy: What does the Science Say?
May 28, 202030:39
4. Fear Memories and the Maternal Brain: More than just sex differences, motherhood matters.

4. Fear Memories and the Maternal Brain: More than just sex differences, motherhood matters.

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Bronwyn Graham an Associate Professor at School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia about her research on how motherhood impacts fear memories and fear extinction and the role that this may have for exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. We also talk a bit about living through the COVID pandemic and how important it is to ask for help if you are struggling.

See her publications here.  

May 20, 202037:07
3. Roundup and Maternal Gut-Brain effects: Should we worry about glyphosate?
May 13, 202030:41
2. Allopregnanolone to Zulresso: A treatment for Postpartum Depression
May 06, 202031:59
1. Anxiety and the Maternal Brain
Apr 22, 202039:03
0. Why we need to revisit Mommy Brain

0. Why we need to revisit Mommy Brain

This episode is a brief introduction as to why I'm doing this podcast; Why we need to talk about what we know and what we don't know when it comes to brain changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period - in health and illness. 

I also ask my kids, ages 6 and 8, what they think happens to our brains when we become parents.  Apparently they aren't listening to me!

Music: All in my head - Luna Wave (via Soundstripe)

Apr 09, 202008:41