Mommy Brain Revisited

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr James Swain, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York State, USA. We talk about his nearly 20 years of research on the human maternal brain and his current research on how opioid use disorder can alter the maternal brain...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Elseline Hoekzema, a senior neuroscientist at the Brain & Development Research Center, Leiden University, the Netherlands. We talk about her research investigating the effects of pregnancy on the human brain. Fascinating! We also talk about how amazing the maternal brain is, despite experiences with ‘mommy brain’ – and yes we both experie...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Oliver Bosch, Professor in the Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine at the University of Regensburg, Germany. We talk about his recent research on partner loss and the maternal brain in relation to corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). We also talk about so much more – how fascinating the maternal brain is as well as single parenthood...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Liisa Galea, Professor in the Department of Psychology and Centre for Brain Health at The University of British Columbia, Canada. We talk about her recent research on maternal experience and its effect on the aging hippocampus. We also talk about other effects of motherhood on ageing, menopause, and the lack of funding for women’s health res...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Christian Broberger, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Stockholm University, Sweden. We talk about his recent research on electrical activity of TIDA neurons and their role in lactation. We talk dopamine, prolactin and a bit about oxytocin. Very interesting! For more information on his research see link .  He...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Valerie Miller, MA, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Purdue University in the USA. We talk about her recent research on attention in mothers during the postpartum and how it may relate to feelings of Mommy Brain as well as mental health. We also talk about the important role that community may have on being a mom.  For m...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Professor Dave Grattan the Director of the Centre of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, New Zealand . We talk about his research on prolactin and motherhood.  Prolactin really is so much more than for lactation - It affects parental behaviors, mental health, food intake and so much more! Listen now, you don't wa...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Erica Glasper an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland at College Park, USA. We talk about her research on how fatherhood affects a dad's brain, particularly the hippocampus, and the importance of interacting with offspring on brain health. For more information on her research see: https://psyc.umd....

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Susanna Carmona from the Neuroimaging Centre in the Laboratory for Medical Imaging at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon in Madrid, Spain. We talk about her recent research on brain changes during the transition to motherhood (matrescence) and how significant these changes are – as significant as during adolescence. We also...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Sasha Davies a PhD Candidate in the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit in the School of Psychology at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. We talk about her recent research on Mommy Brain and how the idea of Mommy Brain needs a rebrand. For more information on her research see: https://babybrainresearch.com/ Here is a direct link to the publicatio...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Bronwyn Graham an Associate Professor at School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia about her research on how motherhood impacts fear memories and fear extinction and the role that this may have for exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. We also talk a bit about living through the COVID pandemic and how imp...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Professor Thierry Charlier at the Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail (Irset) at the Universitie de Rennes 1 (France) about his research on how glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, such as Roundup, affect maternal behavior, brain and microbiome. For more information on his research see: https://www.irset.org/interlocu...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Jamie Maguire an Associate Professor of Neuroscience in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University in the USA about her research on allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid, which formed the foundation for Zulresso (Sage Therapeutics) – the first unique treatment for Postpartum Depression. A great story from basic research in the...

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr Joseph Lonstein a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University about his research on the neuroscience of postpartum anxiety and the importance of infant touch in modulating maternal feelings of anxiety. For more information on his research see: https://neuroscience.natsci.msu.edu/directory/faculty/joseph-s-lonstein-p...

This episode is a brief introduction as to why I'm doing this podcast; Why we need to talk about what we know and what we don't know when it comes to brain changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period - in health and illness.  I also ask my kids, ages 6 and 8, what they think happens to our brains when we become parents.  Apparently they aren't listening to me! Music: All in my hea...