Pregnancy alters woman's brain 'for at least two years' 初次懷孕對女性大腦的影響“至少持續兩年”

文字稿

懷孕會減少女性大腦特定區域中灰質的總體積，然而這不僅能加強孕婦與其嬰兒之間的聯系，還可以幫助產婦適應母親這個新身份。科學傢們對25名初孕女性進行瞭腦部掃描，結果顯示她們的大腦在懷孕期間發生瞭結構性的改變，且這一變化會在產後至少持續兩年。請聽 Robert Pigott 的報道。

When the brains of 25 first-time mothers were scanned soon after they had become pregnant and again after they had given birth, “substantial” reductions in the volume of grey matter were revealed.

Pregnant women have often complained of brain fog and poor memory, but researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands and the Autonomous University of Barcelona say that rather than indicating a simple loss of mental capacity or intelligence, the changes represent a pruning and refinement of brain circuits. They say the changes largely affect areas of the brain associated with the ability to attribute thoughts and feelings to oneself and other people, and could help women adapt to motherhood by recognising threats to their baby or anticipating the child’s needs.

Parts of the brain where grey matter had been pruned lit up on MRI scans when mothers saw pictures of their own babies. The brains of first-time fathers did not show such changes in structure.

詞匯表

first-time 首次的，初次的
substantial 大量的
volume 體積，總量
grey matter （大腦）灰質
brain fog “腦霧”，指思維不清，反應遲鈍的癥狀
mental capacity 心智，思維能力
pruning 刪減、精簡的過程
brain circuits 腦回路
attribute 將（品質、特征）歸屬於
motherhood 母性，母親身份
recognising 辨識，識別
anticipating 預料

測驗

請聽報道並回答下列問題。

1. What did the scans of 25 first-time mothers’ brains show?

2. According to researchers, what do these changes represent?

3. True or false? There were no obvious changes in first-time fathers’ grey matter.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the process of polishing and improving something’?

答案

1. What did the scans of 25 first-time mothers’ brains show?
The scans of 25 first-time mothers showed “substantial” reductions in the volume of grey matter.

2. According to researchers, what do these changes represent?
According to researchers, rather than indicating a simple loss of mental capacity or intelligence, the changes represent a pruning and refinement of brain circuits.

3. True or false? There were no obvious changes in first-time fathers’ grey matter.
True. The brains of first-time fathers did not show such changes in structure.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the process of polishing and improving something’?
Refinement.