Brain study identifies a cost of caregiving for new fathers

Lopolo // Shutterstock

Lopolo // Shutterstock

Brain study identifies a cost of caregiving for new fathers

Parenting makes the heart grow fonder, and the brain grow … smaller? Several studies have revealed that the brain loses volume across the transition to parenthood, Darby Saxbe, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, writes for The Conversation . But researchers are still figuring out what these changes mean for parents.

In a 2024 study that looked at brain change in first-time fathers, Saxbe and her colleagues found that brain volume loss was linked with more engagement in parenting but also more sleep problems and mental health symptoms. These results might point to a cost of caregiving, traditionally shouldered by women but increasingly borne by men