First-Time Dads May Experience Brain Shrinkage, Scientists Find
Science Alert | September 11, 2022 | Carly Cassela

Becoming a new parent is an adjustment for both men and women.

A dozen or so previous studies have shown that motherhood can change the structure of a person’s brain, and yet fatherhood is comparatively overlooked.

Now, new international research has identified neurological changes amongst first-time fathers as well.

The study is only small, but it suggests that the neural substrates of parenthood are not exclusive to mothers. Men, as it turns out, can also be impacted by their new role as a parent, albeit in a less pronounced and uniform way.

On average, the researchers found new fathers lost a percentage or two of cortical volume following the birth of their first child.

This shrinkage was mainly confined to an area of the brain known as the ‘default mode network’, which is associated with parental acceptance and warmth.

At first, a loss in cortical volume might sound like a bad thing, but it can actually indicate a refinement of the brain that makes connecting with a child more powerful and efficient.

The study was published in the Cerebral Cortex.