Mommy Brain Revisited

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Tara Chaplin, Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason University, USA. We talk about parenting, mindfulness, and the parental brain. We also talk about the importance of mindfulness in terms of parenting tweens and teens, how mindfulness helps empower parents to parent with intention (wow!), and her ongoing research in this area. Don’t miss this episode on Mommy Brain Revisited. It will make you want to be more mindful!

Download the publication that we talk about here: Affective Neural Mechanisms of a Parenting-Focused Mindfulness Intervention https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7962669/pdf/nihms-1525033.pdf

For more information on Dr Chaplin’s work: https://yel.gmu.edu/

Although the Mindfulness intervention they use is not readily available it is based on MBSR or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction techniques and other evidence based interventions.

Book recommendation: Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn.

Citation of study we talk about: Turpyn CC, Chaplin TM, Fischer S, Thompson JC, Fedota JR, Baer RA, Martelli AM. Affective Neural Mechanisms of a Parenting-Focused Mindfulness Intervention. Mindfulness (N Y). 2021 Feb;12(2):392-404. doi: 10.1007/s12671-019-01118-6. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Dr. Helena Rutherford an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center in the USA. We talk about her research using EEG (brain waves) to understand brain changes in pregnancy, how they predict postpartum outcomes, the role of reproductive experience on the brain and how dad's brain changes too. We also talk about the importance of understanding the parental brain in order to improve parenting outcomes. Don’t miss this episode! For more information about Dr. Rutherford's research see https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/helena_rutherford/ .

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Prof Paola Dazzan, Professor of Neurobiology of Psychosis, Vice Dean (International) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK. We talk about her research investigating the neurobiology of Postpartum Psychosis. So important! We talk about the biological basis of this debilitating disorder, treatment options and aims for future research.

For more information about Prof Dazzan’s and her research click here.

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Professor Dave Grattan the Director of the Centre of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, New Zealand . We talk about his research on prolactin and motherhood. Prolactin really is so much more than for lactation - It affects parental behaviors, mental health, food intake and so much more! Listen now, you don't want to miss this one.

For more information on Prof Grattan's research see: https://www.otago.ac.nz/neuroendocrinology/research/dave-grattan.html

For a direct link to publications by Prof Grattan see: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bgrXFdoAAAAJ&hl=en

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited I talk with Professor Thierry Charlier at the Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail (Irset) at the Universitie de Rennes 1 (France) about his research on how glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, such as Roundup, affect maternal behavior, brain and microbiome.

For more information on his research see: https://www.irset.org/interlocuteurs/charlier-thierry-0

For a direct link to this paper we discuss: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31066122