Newlywed fathers' brains shrink after the birth of a child; scientists speak directly of a change into a so-called "dad brain". What does that mean?
The birth of a child is, of course, a major life change, both for mothers and fathers. And, as it seems, this fact also manifests itself in a certain way: parents' brains are changing. Fathers are certainly not off the hook. At least that's according to researchers at the University of Southern California, who published the results of their research in the journal Cerebral Cortex. So the male brain - like the female brain - undergoes measurable physical changes after the birth of an offspring. These - although, as in the case of women, they involve a slight shrinkage of the brain - lead to different consequences.
How does the "daddy brain" change?
The observed changes in the case of men mostly impact on the degree of empathy felt and the ways in which they process visually. These changes, experts say, contribute to so-called neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to form and shape new synaptic connections to adapt to new experiences. "Becoming a parent means changes in your lifestyle, but also in your biology. It requires new skills, like the ability to empathize with your child," explained Darby Saxbe, lead author of the study and professor of psychology. This is because the human brain changes and grows every time we develop a new skill - it could be learning a foreign language, playing a musical instrument, just as changes occur at different developmental stages - early childhood or adolescence. Of course, when one becomes a parent, it also means radical changes in lifestyle requiring entirely new skills, so it is quite logical that the brain responds to this as well.
The greatest amount of change in the brains of new fathers then occurred in the cortex, the outer layer of the brain that controls attention, planning and executive functions. Comparisons made before and after the babies were born showed changes in how the brain processes visual information, and also showed changes in areas that are part of the brain's default mode network (these are the areas of the brain that "light up" when the brain is at rest - and these areas are thought to be involved in mentalizing thoughts). Simply put: after the birth of a child, the body gets rid of the "unnecessary" parts of the so-called grey matter and replaces it with new parts that are more necessary for the person at that moment.
Research shows directly that the initial shrinking of the brain is very strategic - it occurs in the so-called "grey matter". It is the cortical area of the brain, which - as the scientists themselves explain - we use "only" to dream and think about other people, so it is a relatively passive and quite useless area when we have to stay awake for days and care for a being who expresses all his desires only through unintelligible sounds. The brain simply starts to focus on nourishing, protecting and communicating with the baby.
Zdroj: Giphy
The brain learns to parent
"This is a very important and neglected topic. For mothers and fathers, the transition to parenthood can be very difficult, but for fathers a little more so because they don't have the opportunity to bond with the baby during pregnancy in the same way as the mother, so it can take longer for them to feel connected," explained psychiatrist Dr Zishan Khan. "Psychological adjustment often involves having to manage the difficult sensory reactions that occur when the baby cries, however much pain, anxiety or feeling unwell," he said, adding that parents' priorities must necessarily change as they will no longer be able to indulge in rest as they were used to, for example. And as a result, irritability, impatience or exhaustion sets in. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, once men become fathers, their bodies also undergo hormonal changes. "Men's cortisol and testosterone levels generally drop during the first few weeks of becoming parents. This reduces the aggression of fathers and brings them closer to their children. In turn, due to the increase in prolactin, oxytocin and estradiol, men begin to exhibit nurturing behaviors," explains marriage and family therapist Lauren Cook-McKay.
Men belong on parental leave
While the discovery of the "dad brain" is undoubtedly groundbreaking, experts agree that further research should be directed toward examining how fear, learning, and reward systems change when a man becomes a father - as women-mothers' brains are transformed along these lines. "Future studies on brain changes and fatherhood should focus on hormonal changes as well as the effects of sleep deprivation and overstress. All of this could help to further elucidate what happens in the brain after childbirth - not just for fathers, but also for other caregivers, whether biologically connected to the child or not," concluded neuroscientist Hayley Nelson.
But given these findings, at least one thing is pretty clear: the topic of paternity leave should definitely not be left on the back burner. Because even fatherhood is a strong neurobiological commitment that should be fulfilled. After all, as study author Darby Saxby noted in an interview, "Parenting is incredibly important to society and public health, but it is also under-researched from a neurobiological perspective. Therefore, we hope that our research can inform public policy, such as parental leave or other initiatives that serve to support new parents."
