Population-based neuroimaging reveals traces of childbirth in the maternal brain

Pregnancy and childbirth involve maternal brain adaptations that promote attachment to and protection of the newborn. Using brain imaging and machine learning, we provide evidence for a positive relationship between number of childbirths and a ‘younger-looking’ brain in 12,021 women, which could not be explained by common genetic variation. The findings demonstrate that parity can be linked to brain health later in life.