NEW parents can breathe easier after the largest study into “baby brain” found no evidence that having a child causes long-term declines in memory or cognition.
Researchers from Monash University examined 150 birth-giving mothers and 150 non-birth-giving fathers within two years of welcoming a baby, comparing their cognitive performance with non-parent control groups.
Published in the journal Cortex, the study found both mothers and fathers performed similarly to non-parents across a broad range of cognitive tests, challenging the long-held belief that becoming a parent inherently impairs memory or thinking ability.
The research was led by Navyaan Siddiqui and Dr Kelsey Perrykkad from the Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health within the Monash School of Psychological Sciences.
Dr Perrykkad said the findings showed no objective evidence for so-called “baby brain” effects. “So why do new parents, especially new mothers, commonly report experiences of baby brain?” Dr Perrykkad said.
“It is important not to dismiss what new parents are telling us.
When we do find evidence for baby brain, it is more related to sleep and wellbeing than a true objective decline in cognition.”
Researchers said factors such as sleep deprivation, stress and emotional adjustment during the early parenting years were more likely to influence how new parents perceived their memory and concentration. She said the findings reinforced the importance of supporting parents during the transition into parenthood.
“New parents can take solace in the fact that becoming a new parent doesn’t inherently impair their memory and cognition,” she said.