We had already reviewed the role of being a mother in brain remodeling. Hormonal fluctuations come to produce changes in some regions involved in the regulation of maternal behaviors such as the ability to protect against physical predators.
As well, According to a recent study, parents do not escape experiencing changes in their gray matter. Researchers at the University of Princenton have found that the structure of the brain of marmosets is different in those who are parents compared to those who are not. They also found that the former were more receptive to a learning-related hormone. According to the authors, this is the closest in relevance in humans that can be obtained with an animal. The study is a pioneer in trying to establish a relationship between parenting and physical changes in the brain of a primate. The research "Fatherhood affects dendritic spines and vasopressin V1a receptors in the primate prefrontal cortex" published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, showed that "the experience of being a father dramatically alters brain regions that are important for cognition."
It seems that marmoset monkeys have a greater dendrite deity, the ramifications of the neurons involved in the reception of stimuli; that is, those who were parents had a higher density of connections in the brain region known as prefontal cortex that plays a crucial role in higher brain functions such as cognition. Of course, this region in humans is more evolved.
But it was not the only finding, the researchers also found that the brains of marmosets had more hormone receptors, which in humans is crucial for learning and memory, known as vasopressin, a neuropeptide, in that region; which is thought to participate in parental behavior and the formation of social ties. That means that their brains could process a greater amount of this chemical than those of non-parents.
With these results we could say that being a dad or a mom is a good exercise to get smarter, right?
