02265nas a2200313   4500000000100000000000100001008003900002260001700041653002700058653001300085653003100098653001100129653001200140653002200152653001400174653001200188100002200200700002300222700002500245700001800270700001700288700002200305245007700327856007800404300001300482490000700495520143500502022001401937       0                             d  cJul 28, 202010aCentral Nervous System10aChildren10aMagnetic Resonance Imaging10aMemory10aMothers10aPrefrontal cortex10aPregnancy10aRodents1 aEdwina R. Orchard1 aPhillip G. D. Ward1 aFrancesco Sforazzini1 aElsdon Storey1 aGary F. Egan1 aSharna D. Jamadar00aRelationship between parenthood and cortical thickness in late adulthood  uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0236031  ae02360310 v153 aPregnancy and the early postpartum period alter the structure of the brain; particularly in regions related to parental care. However, the enduring effects of this period on human brain structure and cognition in late life is unknown. Here we use magnetic resonance imaging to examine differences in cortical thickness related to parenthood in late life, for both sexes. In 235 healthy older women, we find a positive relationship between parity (number of children parented) and memory performance in mothers. Parity was also associated with differences in cortical thickness in women in the parahippocampus, precuneus, cuneus and pericalcarine sulcus. We also compared non-parents to parents of one child, in a sub-sample of older women (N = 45) and men (N = 35). For females, six regions differed in cortical thickness between parents and non-parents; these regions were consistent with those seen earlier in life in previous studies. For males, five regions differed in cortical thickness between parents and non-parents. We are first to reveal parenthood-related brain differences in late-life; our results are consistent with previously identified areas that are altered during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that neural changes associated with early stages of parenthood persist into older age, and for women, may be related to marginally better cognitive outcomes.  a1932-6203