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Decrease in hippocampal neurogenesis during pregnancy: a link to immunity

Molecular Psychiatry volume 13, pages 468–469 (2008)Cite this article

Changes in cognitive performance, such as deficits in learning and memory, have been extensively reported in women during pregnancy. Most previous studies attributed these changes to emotional and hormonal alterations,1, 2 while the cellular mechanisms that underlie changes in cognitive abilities remain largely unknown. Learning and especially memory were recently associated with the formation of new neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Since levels of hippocampal neurogenesis vary in response to a wide range of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, we considered the possibility that neurogenesis is deviated during pregnancy, thus providing potential explanation for the changes in maternal cognitive performance during that period.

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  1. Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

    A Rolls, H Schori, A London & M Schwartz

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  1. A Rolls
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  2. H Schori
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  3. A London
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  4. M Schwartz
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Correspondence to M Schwartz.

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Rolls, A., Schori, H., London, A. et al. Decrease in hippocampal neurogenesis during pregnancy: a link to immunity. Mol Psychiatry 13, 468–469 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4002126

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