Pregnancy, Nursing May Enhance Women’s Brains
A hormone released during pregnancy and
nursing appears to
greatly enrich areas of the brain involved in
memory and learning, animal
studies show.
Neuroscientists at the University of
Richmond and Randolph Macon College in
Virginia found that the number of dendrites,
special brain cell structures needed for
communication between brain cells,
doubled in pregnant and nursing laboratory
mice.
Researchers also found the number of the
brain's glial cells, which
serve as communication channels, also doubled.
Pregnant mice proved to be bolder, more
curious and energetic, the
study showed. They learned mazes more quickly,
made fewer mistakes
and retained the knowledge longer, researchers
say.
"In a way, the brain of a late-pregnant
female resembles a toy
factory at Christmastime, receiving orders and
gearing up for the
increased demands about to be placed on it,"
researcher Craig Kinsley,
a Richmond neuropsychologist, told The Los Angeles
Times.
These findings contradict another study from
the University of
Southern California that showed pregnant women
performed poorly on
cognitive tests.
These findings were presented this week at
the Society for
Neuroscience meeting in Los Angeles.
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Cindy Curtis , RN, IBCLC ~ Virginia , USA
ICQ # 412812 mailto:[log in to unmask]
Benefits of Breastfeeding Home Page http://www.erols.com/cindyrn
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