Paternina Die, María Del CarmenMartínez García, Magdalena TeresaPetrus, ClaraHoekzema, ElselineBarba Müller, ErikaMartin de Blas, DanielPozzobon, CristinaBallesteros, AgustínVillarroya, ÓscarDesco Menéndez, ManuelCarmona Cañabate, Susana2021-05-172021-05-172020-11-04Cerebral cortex communications, 1(1), Nov. 2021, 11 pp.2632-7376https://hdl.handle.net/10016/32650The transition into fatherhood is a life-changing event that requires substantial psychological adaptations. In families that include a father figure, sensitive paternal behavior has been shown to positively impact the infant's development. Yet, studies exploring the neuroanatomic adaptations of men in their transition into fatherhood are scarce. The present study used surface-based methods to reanalyze a previously published prospective magnetic resonance imaging dataset comprised of 20 first-time fathers (preconception-to-postpartum) and 17 childless men. We tested if the transition into fatherhood entailed changes in cortical volume, thickness, and area and whether these changes were related to 2 indicators of paternal experience. Specifically, we tested if such changes were associated with (1) the baby's age and/or (2) the fathers' brain activity in response to pictures of their babies compared with an unknown baby. Results indicated that first-time fathers exhibited a significant reduction in cortical volume and thickness of the precuneus. Moreover, higher volume reduction and cortical thinning were associated with stronger brain responses to pictures of their own baby in parental brain regions. This is the first study showing preconception-to-postpartum neuroanatomical adaptations in first-time fathers associated with the father's brain response to cues of his infant.11eng© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Atribución 3.0 EspañaFatherhoodMRINeuroimagingParental brainresearch articleBiología y Biomedicinahttps://doi.org/10.1093/texcom/tgaa082open access1111Cerebral cortex communications1AR/0000027875