‘Mommy brain’ volunteers sought
Jaime Palmer, 778.782.7656; 778.846.6476; jlp10@sfu.ca
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
Simon Fraser University psychology researchers are hoping to learn more about how women’s memories may be affected during pregnancy and the role that hormones may play.
Researchers with the Maternal Cognition Research Program are looking for healthy women in their second or third trimester to be study participants. The task involves 90-minute memory tests and hormones (via a saliva sample and hand scan) will also be measured.
Results may help health care professionals in the delivery of effective pre- and post-natal care.
“Despite the frequency with which we hear about this phenomenon, little research has been done to identify what these changes are and how they happen,” says psychology PhD student Jaime Palmer, who is part of a research team working with SFU neuroscientist Neil Watson.
In an earlier study (2005), researchers found preliminary evidence that the fetus can have specific effects on mothers' memory.
Comments
Comment GuidelinesDan Weeks (now VPR at University of Lethbridge) turned me on to this research. I am currently nearing the end of my third trimester and because of a neuroscience background, would love to hear the about the results of your study. Please feel free to contact me via email with your results.
Penny
Tasmin Tanghe
I'm not suitable for your study, but I want to comment, as I had a terrible experience in my pregnancy 15 years ago and was (and still am) shocked at how I felt completely unique at the time, only later to learn I was not.
I lost much of my memory during pregnancy and only began to regain bits of it a full year after I finished breastfeeding).
I am still stunned at how little I could find out about it at the time!
So, WAY TO GO!!! This is an important study in my opinion. I'd love to read your results. Feel free to contact me about this.
Tasmin Tanghe
ttanghe@sfu.ca