Maternal neural and behavioral sensitivity to baby emotional sounds

After giving birth, women will experience a series of physiological and psychological changes. Exploring the changes in postpartum women's neurological function contributes to comprehending their cognitive and emotional processing mechanisms. Therefore, we recruited 43 new mothers and 26 nulliparous women to participate in the current fMRI study based on the baby sounds’ task. Results suggested that the brain function of new mothers showed dynamic plasticity in the temporal lobe. This study reflected the adaptive changes in new mothers' brain function toward nurturing the babies.