Many women know it: memory is not exactly at its best during pregnancy. At this special moment, complex changes take place in the female brain. But what exactly these are, has not yet been properly investigated. Now the University of Salzburg is looking for pregnant women for a study on memory.
It is commonly referred to as ‘baby brain’: the kind of ‘brain fog’ that many pregnant women experience. A team led by Salzburg sleep researcher Kerstin Hödlmoser is now investigating what exactly is behind it. ‘Sleep and memory during pregnancy’ is the name of the project that is funded by the FWF research grant fund.
Specifically, the scientists want to find out how hormonal changes affect memory performance, whether sleep quality changes during pregnancy and after birth, whether this affects memory performance, etc.
To do this, the researchers are looking for participants – specifically, twelve pregnant women in January 2025. “The most difficult thing is the time frame in which we want to recruit the pregnant women,” explains Hödlmoser, “because it is specifically the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. And it is difficult to get a lot of women during this time.”
There is also an extensive thank you for the participating women. In our fact box below we have summarized all the necessary information for you.
Almost no area is spared
By the way, a study by neuroscientist Liz Chrastil is currently causing an international stir: she made herself available for research during her pregnancy. Now we know: almost no part of the brain is spared from changes during this time.
Source: Krone
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