Babies Brain Growth Linked To Their Mother’s Hardwork

A good news for mothers who want that their babies mind growth will be better in future is that  according to a study the more time and energy women  invest towards nurturing their babies, the bigger will be their brain’s growth.

According to the research by the researchers of Durham University who studied 128 mammals which also includes humans, found that the growth of brain in babies is determined by the length of the pregnancy and how long they are breastfed.

The researchers said that those women who feed up to three years in addition to their nine-month pregnancies, have such a long period of dependency as this is necessary to support the growth of our enormous 1300cc brains.

The research team of Durham University analyzed the  statistical evidence on brain and body size, maternal investment, and life history variables in mammals, including species such as gorillas, elephants and whales.

The researchers found that brain size relative to body size was most closely linked to  time a mother spends carrying her baby  in pregnancy and how long she continues to breastfeed.

According to the study  that length of the pregnancy determines brain size at birth and the period of lactation decides brain growth after birth & mothers with higher metabolic rates can afford to fuel faster brain growth in the fetus.

In a comparison done by researchers, find that  the species like fallow deer, which are about the same body weight as humans but remain in mothers’ womb for 7 months and get breastfed for 6 months, have brains six times smaller as compare to humans babies.

“We already know that large-brained species develop slowly, mature later and have longer lifespans but what has not always been clear is why brains and life histories are related. One theory is that large brains increase lifespan by making the animal more generally flexible in its behavioural responses to unpredictable challenges, permitting slower life histories. However, our findings suggest that the slow-down in life histories is directly related to the costs rather than the benefits of growing a large brain.” The necessary benefits to offset these costs could come in other ways, such as improving specific cognitive abilities, rather than through some generalised flexibility”. said Lead researcher Professor Robert Barton from Durham University’s Department of Anthropology