First-time dads can experience brain shrinkage, research says

First-time dads can experience brain shrinkage, research says

Life after having a baby, and the seismic-shift it creates, is well documented for moms.

Their isn't as much information as it pertains to dads.

But new research suggests that a new dad can experience brain shrinkage when he first becomes a father.

Dads' brains

The study, published in the Cerebral Cortex journal, sought to discover how parenting can impact dads' brains.

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Obviously men don't experience the physical and hormonal changes that women do postpartum.

But regardless, it seems men do experience change in the form of brain shrinkage.

Cortical volume

The study was carried out across two universities in Spain and the United States and examined a group of 20 dads-to-be.

Researchers looked at anatomical changes to their brains during the transition from pre-fatherhood to becoming a dad.

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And the results prove a definite movement in brain structure, including cortical volume reduction.

The report suggests that these alterations to men’s brains make it easier for them to bond with their little ones.

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