The Global Maternal Brain Project
Poster No:
998
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Magdalena Martínez García1, Emily Jacobs1
Institutions:
1University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
First Author:
Co-Author:
Introduction:
Each year, nearly 140 million women around the world experience one of the most transformative events of their lifetime - pregnancy. Yet, scientific knowledge of how pregnancy shapes the maternal brain-impacting mental health, cognition, and neurobiology- is still in its infancy. Over the past decade, pioneering longitudinal studies have revealed that pregnancy induces profound, dynamic, and lasting changes in the human brain, paving the way for an entirely new field of research. Moving forward, this field needs larger datasets and global collaboration to capture the influence of factors that show substantial variability between individuals, including exploring the role of hormonal and immune signals that fluctuate across the perinatal transition, establishing the link with perinatal mental health and cognition, as well as understanding the impact of diverse socioeconomic factors and parental leave policies.
Methods:
The Global Maternal Brain Project (MBP Global), part of the Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health Initiative, aims to build the world's largest longitudinal maternal neuroimaging database. We will collect brain, biofluid, cognitive, and health data from 1,000 first-time pregnant women across strategic global sites, following them from pre-conception through postpartum. At each site, participants will undergo MRI scans before conception, once every trimester, and at one, three, and six months postpartum. Alongside brain imaging, we will collect blood samples for multi-omics profiling, track sleep, cognition and lifestyle factors, and assess reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes.
·MBP Global design
Results:
We have launched the first two collection sites in California (University of California) and Spain (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid). IRB approvals are secured, and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for data collection is in place, ensuring standardized, high-quality data collection to expand globally.
Conclusions:
By building this large-scale, comprehensive maternal brain database, we aim to transform the scientific understanding of pregnancy's impact on the brain, improve perinatal care, and guide social policies to support maternal well-being. The insights gained will have far-reaching implications for the health of millions of women worldwide.
Lifespan Development:
Lifespan Development Other 1
Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:
Normal Development
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
Multi-Modal Imaging 2
Keywords:
ADULTS
Blood
MRI
Open Data
Other - Pregnancy; Motherhood; Consortium; Big data; Longitudinal study; Female
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
Was this research conducted in the United States?
Are you Internal Review Board (IRB) certified? Please note: Failure to have IRB, if applicable will lead to automatic rejection of abstract.
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Pritschet, L., et al. Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. Nature Neuroscience 27, 2253–2260 (2024).
Paternina-Die, M., et al. Women’s neuroplasticity during gestation, childbirth and postpartum. Nature Neuroscience 27, 319–327 (2024).