AI Article Synopsis

  • Maternal brains adapt for child-rearing through heightened reproductive efforts like pregnancy and interactions with children, although this may impact life expectancy based on findings from non-human studies.
  • In a study of 51 mothers aged 27-46, researchers found that increased reproductive efforts were linked to slower aging, as measured by DNA methylation and brain structure changes.
  • The study revealed that mothers with fewer than four children showed greater precuneus gray matter volume, which appears to help mediate the relationship between the number of children and aging deceleration.

Article Abstract

Reproductive efforts, such as pregnancy, delivery, and interaction with children, make maternal brains optimized for child-rearing. However, extensive studies in non-human species revealed a tradeoff between reproductive effort and life expectancy. In humans, large demographic studies have shown that this is the case for the most part; however, molecular marker studies regarding aging remain controversial. There are no studies simultaneously evaluating the relationship between reproductive effort, aging, and brain structures. We therefore examined the associations between reproductive efforts (parity status, number of deliveries, motherhood period, and cumulative motherhood period), DNA methylation age (mAge) acceleration (based on Horvath's multi-tissue clock and the skin & blood clock), and the regional gray matter volumes (obtained through brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using voxel-based morphometry) in 51 mothers aged 27-46 years of children in early childhood. We found that increasing reproductive efforts were significantly associated with decelerated aging in mothers with one to four children, even after adjusting for the confounding effects in the multiple linear regression models. We also found that the left precuneus gray matter volume was larger as deceleration of aging occurred; increasing left precuneus gray matter volume, on the other hand, mediates the relationship between parity status and mAge deceleration. Our findings suggest that mothers of children in early childhood, who have had less than four children, may benefit from deceleration of aging mediated via structural changes in the precuneus.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8926035PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.803584DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

reproductive efforts
16
gray matter
16
matter volume
12
reproductive effort
8
parity status
8
motherhood period
8
children early
8
early childhood
8
mothers children
8
left precuneus
8

Similar Publications

Face masks can impact processing a narrative in sign language, affecting several metacognitive dimensions of understanding (i.e., perceived effort, confidence and feeling of understanding).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This report underscores the critical need to include Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) within schistosomiasis elimination frameworks and sexual and reproductive health programs. Affecting an estimated 40-56 million women, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, FGS is often underdiagnosed and neglected in public health programs. This paper highlights FGS as a vital gap in schistosomiasis control and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, advocating for integrated approaches that address FGS awareness and diagnosis within disease elimination initiatives and health services.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Living-donor kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for kidney failure. In the United States, rates of living kidney donation have been stagnant, which is partly related to concerns over medical and financial risks. Recent research has better characterized the risks of living kidney donation, although the field is limited by a lack of robust registries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Monarch butterflies in North America migrate south each autumn, but the mechanisms that initiate their migratory flight remain incompletely understood. We investigated environmental, developmental, and genetic factors that contribute to directional flight by testing summer and autumn-generation monarchs in three flight simulators: two at ground level (with and without wind blockage) and a novel balloon-based system that raised butterflies 30 meters into the air. Monarchs reared under autumn-like conditions in a growth chamber during the summer were also tested to explore the influence of developmental cues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A next-generation STING agonist MSA-2 is a promising tumor immunotherapy strategy. However, the methods for improving the anti-tumor efficacy of MSA-2 are a lot of effort. We have demonstrated antitumor effect of platinum-modified MSA-2 (MSA-2-Pt) was better than MSA-2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!