Is 'baby brain' real? A neuroscientist explains (opens original article in a new tab)

Pregnancy causes real but not necessarily harmful brain changes, and memory issues reported by new parents may be due to sleep deprivation and stress rather than cognitive decline.

• Pregnancy causes structural brain changes, including grey matter volume shifts and white matter strengthening.
• New parents perform similarly to non-parents in memory and cognitive tests, suggesting no significant decline.
• Sleep deprivation and cognitive load from parenting responsibilities are likely causes of 'baby brain' symptoms.