South Middlesex Times

Parents may gain an unexpected benefit from raising children, according to a new study involving nearly 37,000 adults. The research, conducted by Rutgers Health and Yale University and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that parenting might protect against some effects of aging.

The study found that parents display patterns of brain connectivity that counter typical age-related changes. This effect strengthens with each additional child, applying to both mothers and fathers. “The regions that decrease in functional connectivity as individuals age are the regions associated with increased connectivity when individuals have had children,” said Avram Holmes, associate professor of psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Using data from the UK Biobank, researchers analyzed brain scans and family information to observe how different brain regions communicate. They focused on areas involved in movement, sensation, and social connection. Parents with more children exhibited stronger connectivity in key brain networks typically affected by aging.

“We're seeing a widespread pattern of functional alterations," Holmes noted. The findings suggest parenting may enrich the environment through increased physical activity and social interaction. “The caregiving environment appears important since we see these effects in both mothers and fathers,” Holmes added.

Participants also showed higher levels of social connection through frequent family visits and larger social networks. However, researchers caution that further work is needed to understand how parenting creates these changes. The study's participants were mainly from the United Kingdom, which may limit its generalizability across different cultures.

This research could extend beyond traditional parent-child relationships. Holmes stated: “If what we're picking up is a relationship between enhanced social interactions...we could tap into those same processes even if individuals don't have a social support network currently.”