Postpartum Brain Age Gap Elevates at 3 Months, Normalizes by 12 Months

At 3 months postpartum, women had a brain age gap of 2.5 years vs 0.3 years in controls (p=0.01), which normalized by 12 months. Correlations with working memory (ρ=-0.30) and depression symptoms (ρ=0.38) suggest transient brain changes.

• At 3 months, postpartum brain age gap correlated with working memory (ρ=-0.30), depressive symptoms (ρ=0.38), and subjective cognitive complaints (ρ=0.28).
• The between-group difference in longitudinal change did not reach statistical significance (p=0.12, Cohen's d=-0.58), so the trajectory difference from controls remains unconfirmed.

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