Welcome to BeMother Project (BabyBrain)

Discover with us how a woman’s brain changes during her first pregnancy

BeMother

BeMother is a project of the UAB, the IMIM and the IISGM, directed by Dr. Òscar Vilarroya, with funding from the European Research Council (ERC) and La Caixa Foundation.

In our research, we hypothesized that pregnancy-related morphological brain changes may confer an adaptive advantage for motherhood in several ways. For example, facilitating a mother’s ability to recognize the needs of her highly dependent baby, promoting the mother-baby bond, and easily detecting social stimuli that signal potential threats. Currently, we are also interested in learning about the brain changes that take place in non-pregnant mothers in their transition to motherhood.

You can help us!

Help us to discover how pregnancy and motherhood change the brain. To carry out this study, we need women like you, willing to collaborate with us and improve our knowledge of motherhood.

Latest news in BeMother

Resolution of the Autonomous University of Barcelona for the temporary hiring of IP for specific funding - Postdoctoral researcher -, for the Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine.

New call for a postdoc place at BeMother.
Last updated on Jul 29, 2021 1 min read

Nothing in Cognitive Neuroscience Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution

Dr. Òscar Vilarroya has published a new article talking about cognitive neuroscience and evolution.
Last updated on Jun 16, 2021 1 min read

Recruitment of volunteers in active IMIM studies

If you want to help science, you can volunteer for our project or any of the others they have at IMIM.
Last updated on Mar 4, 2021 1 min read

News at UABDivulga

This week we have appeared on the UAB Divulga website, we leave you a link so you can see it.
Last updated on Feb 1, 2021 1 min read

Recording the project presentation video

This week we have recorded a video to present our team and our project, very soon you will be able to see it on our social networks.
Last updated on Feb 1, 2021 1 min read

Who can participate?

Couples of women planning their first pregnancy

We are looking for couples of women who want to become pregnant for the first time.

Women planning their first pregnancy

Women between the ages of 25 and 45 who do not have children but plan their first pregnancy soon can participate in our study.

Women who are not planning a pregnancy

We need women who plan their first pregnancy but it is also very important to have volunteers who do not plan a mid-term pregnancy, they will be our controls.

Which methods do we use?

MRI technique

BeMother uses the apparatus of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.

Neuropsychological and clinical evaluations

A series of questionnaires and scales are carried out to evaluate psychological and clinical aspects.

Saliva and urine analysis

Urine and saliva samples will be taken for subsequent quantification.

What does your participation consist of?

Session 1. Before pregnancy

The first study visit should be for women who plan to become pregnant but are not yet pregnant.

Session 2 and 3. During pregnancy

Two visits will take place between 18-20 weeks pregnant and between 34-36 weeks.

Session 4. Postpartum

The postpartum visit will take place during the first month after the birth.

Related publications

Do Pregnancy-Induced Brain Changes Reverse? The Brain of a Mother Six Years after Parturition

Background: Neuroimaging researchers commonly assume that the brain of a mother is comparable to that of a nulliparous woman. However, …
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The Paternal Transition Entails Neuroanatomic Adaptations that are Associated with the Father’s Brain Response to his Infant Cues

Background: The transition into fatherhood is a life-changing event that requires substantial psychological adaptations. In families …
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Becoming a mother entails anatomical changes in the ventral striatum of thehuman brain that facilitate its responsiveness to offspring cues

Background: In mothers, offspring cues are associated with a powerful reinforcing value that motivates maternal care. Animalstudies …
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Pregnancy and adolescence entail similar neuroanatomicaladaptations. A comparative analysis of cerebralmorphometric changes

Mapping the impact of pregnancy on the human brain is essential for understanding the neurobiol-ogy of maternal caregiving. Recently, …
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Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Links to maternal caregiving and mental health

Background: Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve numerous physiological adaptations that enable the development and survival of …
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Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure

Background: Pregnancy involves radical hormone surges and biological adaptations. However, the effects of pregnancy on the human brain …
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