Last month,
Laura Glynn
, PhD, spoke at
TEDxChapmanU
about her research decoding the maternal brain. Glynn is associate professor of psychology in the
Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
, as well as director of Chapman’s 
Early Human and Lifespan Development Research Program
.

Glynn detailed some of the intriguing and well-studied scientific findings about the neurological changes in mother rodents, but she posited, “what about human mothers?” Her surprising answer was that we know almost
nothing
. “There really does exist a critical knowledge gap in our understanding of the human maternal brain,” Glynn explained.

“Furthering our knowledge of the neurological changes associated with the perinatal period will not only allow women and their healthcare providers to better understand changes in behavior and function during and after pregnancy, but it will allow greater understanding of women’s lifespan development with important implications for things like dementia and cognitive aging.”

It may also bring the possibility of intervention. Glynn concluded her talk with her hope for the future: “[that] we will be able to identify women who are at risk for things like postpartum depression and psychosis or compromised maternal care. With this increased knowledge we have the potential to develop specific and successful interventions with great potential to increase both maternal and child health.”

Watch Laura Glynn’s TED talk

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