1
|
Kent MH, Jacob JC, Bowen G, Bhalerao J, Desinor S, Vavra D, Leserve D, Ott KR, Angeles B, Martis M, Sciandra K, Gillenwater K, Glory C, Meisel E, Choe A, Olivares-Navarrete R, Puetzer JL, Lambert K. Disrupted development from head to tail: Pervasive effects of postnatal restricted resources on neurobiological, behavioral, and morphometric outcomes. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:910056. [PMID: 35990727 PMCID: PMC9389412 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.910056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When a maternal rat nurtures her pups, she relies on adequate resources to provide optimal care for her offspring. Accordingly, limited environmental resources may result in atypical maternal care, disrupting various developmental outcomes. In the current study, maternal Long-Evans rats were randomly assigned to either a standard resource (SR) group, provided with four cups of bedding and two paper towels for nesting material or a limited resource (LR) group, provided with a quarter of the bedding and nesting material provided for the SR group. Offspring were monitored at various developmental phases throughout the study. After weaning, pups were housed in same-sex dyads in environments with SRs for continued observations. Subsequent behavioral tests revealed a sex × resource interaction in play behavior on PND 28; specifically, LR reduced play attacks in males while LR increased play attacks in females. A sex × resource interaction was also observed in anxiety-related responses in the open field task with an increase in thigmotaxis in LR females and, in the social interaction task, females exhibited more external rears oriented away from the social target. Focusing on morphological variables, tail length measurements of LR males and females were shorter on PND 9, 16, and 21; however, differences in tail length were no longer present at PND 35. Following the behavioral assessments, animals were perfused at 56 days of age and subsequent immunohistochemical assays indicated increased glucocorticoid receptors in the lateral habenula of LR offspring and higher c-Fos immunoreactivity in the basolateral amygdala of SR offspring. Further, when tail vertebrae and tail tendons were assessed via micro-CT and hydroxyproline assays, results indicated increased trabecular separation, decreased bone volume fraction, and decreased connectivity density in bones, along with reduced collagen concentration in tendons in the LR animals. In sum, although the restricted resources only persisted for a brief duration, the effects appear to be far-reaching and pervasive in this early life stress animal model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Molly H. Kent
- Department of Biology, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA, United States
| | - Joanna C. Jacob
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Gabby Bowen
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Janhavi Bhalerao
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Stephanie Desinor
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Dylan Vavra
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Danielle Leserve
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Kelly R. Ott
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Benjamin Angeles
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Michael Martis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Katherine Sciandra
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | | | - Clark Glory
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Eli Meisel
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Allison Choe
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Rene Olivares-Navarrete
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Puetzer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Kelly Lambert
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Kelly Lambert,
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Been LE, Sheppard PAS, Galea LAM, Glasper ER. Hormones and neuroplasticity: A lifetime of adaptive responses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:679-690. [PMID: 34808191 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Major life transitions often co-occur with significant fluctuations in hormones that modulate the central nervous system. These hormones enact neuroplastic mechanisms that prepare an organism to respond to novel environmental conditions and/or previously unencountered cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral demands. In this review, we will explore several examples of how hormones mediate neuroplastic changes in order to produce adaptive responses, particularly during transitions in life stages. First, we will explore hormonal influences on social recognition in both males and females as they transition to sexual maturity. Next, we will probe the role of hormones in mediating the transitions to motherhood and fatherhood, respectively. Finally, we will survey the long-term impact of reproductive experience on neuroplasticity in females, including potential protective effects and risk factors associated with reproductive experience in mid-life and beyond. Ultimately, a more complete understanding of how hormones influence neuroplasticity throughout the lifespan, beyond development, is necessary for understanding how individuals respond to life changes in adaptive ways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Been
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA.
| | - Paul A S Sheppard
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Department of Psychology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
| | - Erica R Glasper
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742 USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Horrell ND, Acosta MC, Saltzman W. Plasticity of the paternal brain: Effects of fatherhood on neural structure and function. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1499-1520. [PMID: 33480062 PMCID: PMC8295408 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Care of infants is a hallmark of mammals. Whereas parental care by mothers is obligatory for offspring survival in virtually all mammals, fathers provide care for their offspring in only an estimated 5%-10% of genera. In these species, the transition into fatherhood is often accompanied by pronounced changes in males' behavioral responses to young, including a reduction in aggression toward infants and an increase in nurturant behavior. The onset of fatherhood can also be associated with sensory, affective, and cognitive changes. The neuroplasticity that mediates these changes is not well understood; however, fatherhood can alter the production and survival of new neurons; function and structure of existing neurons; morphology of brain structures; and neuroendocrine signaling systems. Although these changes are thought to promote infant care by fathers, very little evidence exists to support this hypothesis; in most cases, neither the mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity in fathers nor its functional significance is known. In this paper, we review the available data on the neuroplasticity that occurs during the transition into fatherhood. We highlight gaps in our knowledge and future directions that will provide key insights into how and why fatherhood alters the structure and functioning of the male brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Melina C. Acosta
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
McLean S, Morrell LJ. Sex Differences in Laterality Are Associated with Reproduction in Threespine Stickleback. Am Nat 2021; 197:708-718. [PMID: 33989139 DOI: 10.1086/714138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractLaterality, the partitioning of information processing into specific brain hemispheres, is widespread across animal taxa. Substantial unexplained variation in this trait exists, particularly between the sexes, despite multiple identified advantages of lateralization. Here, we demonstrate a relationship among laterality (measured as directional biases), reproduction, and experience of mating and parenting. Using threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a species with uniparental male care, we showed that individuals of the caring sex (males) were more strongly lateralized than the noncaring sex (females) during reproduction and that laterality was reduced outside the breeding season in males. Additionally, males with experience of mating and parenting were more strongly lateralized than males without this experience. Our findings suggest that fitness-related behaviors that vary between the sexes, such as reproductive behaviors including courtship, spawning, and parenting, are significant but previously unidentified sources of variation in laterality.
Collapse
|
5
|
Azhari A, Lim M, Bizzego A, Gabrieli G, Bornstein MH, Esposito G. Physical presence of spouse enhances brain-to-brain synchrony in co-parenting couples. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7569. [PMID: 32371912 PMCID: PMC7200679 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63596-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Co-parenting spouses who live together remain in close physical proximity to each other and regularly engage in reciprocal social interactions in joint endeavors to coordinate their caregiving. Although bi-parental rearing is a common occurrence in humans, the influence of the physical presence of a co-parenting spouse on parental brain responses remains largely unknown. Synchrony is conceptualized as the matching of behavioral and physiological signals between two individuals. In this study, we examined how the presence of a co-parenting spouse influences brain-to-brain synchrony when attending to salient infant and adult vocalizations. We hypothesized that brain-to-brain synchrony would be greater in the presence of a spousal partner. Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used on 24 mother-father dyads (N = 48) to measure prefrontal cortical (PFC) activities while they listened to infant and adult vocalizations in two conditions, together (in the same room at the same time) and separately (in different rooms at different times). Couples showed greater synchrony in the together condition; when comparing fNIRS data between true couples and randomly matched controls, this synchronous effect was only seen in true couples, indicating a unique effect of spousal co-regulation toward salient stimuli. Our results indicate that the physical presence of the spouse might establish synchrony in attentional regulation mechanisms toward socially relevant stimuli. This finding holds implications for the role of the co-parenting spouse in influencing social and parental brain mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atiqah Azhari
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mengyu Lim
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Andrea Bizzego
- Division of Psychology, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Giulio Gabrieli
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Marc H Bornstein
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, USA
- Institute for Fiscal Studies, London, United Kingdom
- UNICEF, New York, USA
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
- Division of Psychology, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
In recent decades, human sociocultural changes have increased the numbers of fathers that are involved in direct caregiving in Western societies. This trend has led to a resurgence of interest in understanding the mechanisms and effects of paternal care. Across the animal kingdom, paternal caregiving has been found to be a highly malleable phenomenon, presenting with great variability among and within species. The emergence of paternal behaviour in a male animal has been shown to be accompanied by substantial neural plasticity and to be shaped by previous and current caregiving experiences, maternal and infant stimuli and ecological conditions. Recent research has allowed us to gain a better understanding of the neural basis of mammalian paternal care, the genomic and circuit-level mechanisms underlying paternal behaviour and the ways in which the subcortical structures that support maternal caregiving have evolved into a global network of parental care. In addition, the behavioural, neural and molecular consequences of paternal caregiving for offspring are becoming increasingly apparent. Future cross-species research on the effects of absence of the father and the transmission of paternal influences across generations may allow research on the neuroscience of fatherhood to impact society at large in a number of important ways.
Collapse
|
7
|
Sullivan ED, Kent M, Thompson B, Bardi M, Lambert K. Maternal-induced shifts in allostatic demands: Reproductive experience alters emotional and cognitive biobehavioral responses in rats (Rattus norvegicus). Neurosci Lett 2019; 701:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.01.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
8
|
Glasper ER, Kenkel WM, Bick J, Rilling JK. More than just mothers: The neurobiological and neuroendocrine underpinnings of allomaternal caregiving. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100741. [PMID: 30822428 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In a minority of mammalian species, mothers depend on others to help raise their offspring. New research is investigating the neuroendocrine mechanisms supporting this allomaternal behavior. Several hormones have been implicated in allomaternal caregiving; however, the role of specific hormones is variable across species, perhaps because allomothering independently evolved multiple times. Brain regions involved in maternal behavior in non-human animals, such as the medial preoptic area, are also critically involved in allomaternal behavior. Allomaternal experience modulates hormonal systems, neural plasticity, and behavioral reactivity. In humans, fatherhood-induced decreases in testosterone and increases in oxytocin may support sensitive caregiving. Fathers and mothers activate similar neural systems when exposed to child stimuli, and this can be considered a global "parental caregiving" network. Finally, early work on caregiving by non-kin (e.g., foster parents) suggests reliance on similar mechanisms as biologically-related parents. This article is part of the 'Parental Brain and Behavior' Special Issue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E R Glasper
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, 4094 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - W M Kenkel
- Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, 150 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - J Bick
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Road, Houston, TX 77204, USA; Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, 4849 Calhoun Rd, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - J K Rilling
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, 207 Anthropology Building, 1557 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, PO Box 3966, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA; Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
WANG B, LI L, HE Z, WANG L, ZHANG S, QIAO H, JIA R, TAI F. Effects of reproductive experience on paternal behavior, levels of testosterone, prolactin in serum and dendritic spines in medial prefrontal cortex of mandarin voles. Integr Zool 2018; 13:711-722. [DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo WANG
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
- Genetic Engineering Laboratory, College of Biological and Environmental engineering; Xi'an University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Laifu LI
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Zhixiong HE
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Limin WANG
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Siyi ZHANG
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Hui QIAO
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Rui JIA
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| | - Fadao TAI
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences; Shaanxi Normal University; Xi'an Shaanxi China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Horrell ND, Hickmott PW, Saltzman W. Neural Regulation of Paternal Behavior in Mammals: Sensory, Neuroendocrine, and Experiential Influences on the Paternal Brain. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2018; 43:111-160. [PMID: 30206901 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, parents in many species devote extraordinary effort toward caring for offspring, often risking their lives and exhausting limited resources. Understanding how the brain orchestrates parental care, biasing effort over the many competing demands, is an important topic in social neuroscience. In mammals, maternal care is necessary for offspring survival and is largely mediated by changes in hormones and neuropeptides that fluctuate massively during pregnancy, parturition, and lactation (e.g., progesterone, estradiol, oxytocin, and prolactin). In the relatively small number of mammalian species in which parental care by fathers enhances offspring survival and development, males also undergo endocrine changes concurrent with birth of their offspring, but on a smaller scale than females. Thus, fathers additionally rely on sensory signals from their mates, environment, and/or offspring to orchestrate paternal behavior. Males can engage in a variety of infant-directed behaviors that range from infanticide to avoidance to care; in many species, males can display all three behaviors in their lifetime. The neural plasticity that underlies such stark changes in behavior is not well understood. In this chapter we summarize current data on the neural circuitry that has been proposed to underlie paternal care in mammals, as well as sensory, neuroendocrine, and experiential influences on paternal behavior and on the underlying circuitry. We highlight some of the gaps in our current knowledge of this system and propose future directions that will enable the development of a more comprehensive understanding of the proximate control of parenting by fathers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Horrell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Peter W Hickmott
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Stein LR, Trapp RM, Bell AM. Do reproduction and parenting influence personality traits? Insights from threespine stickleback. Anim Behav 2016; 112:247-254. [PMID: 26955065 PMCID: PMC4778261 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Although one of the hallmarks of personality traits is their consistency over time, we might expect personality traits to change during life history shifts. Becoming a parent is a major life history event, when individuals undergo dramatic behavioural and physiological changes. Here we employ a longitudinal experiment to ask whether personality changes in response to the experience of parenting in male threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus. Life history theory predicts that males should be less risk averse after successfully parenting, and the neuroendocrinology of parenting suggests that parenting could reorganize the hormonal landscape and behaviour of fathers. We randomly assigned males to either an experimental group (reproduced and parented) or a control group (did not reproduce and parent), and repeatedly measured a personality trait ('boldness') and 11-ketotestosterone levels (11-kT, the major androgen in fishes) in individual males. In the control group, males became bolder over time. However, in the experimental group, boldness did not change. Furthermore, 11-kT changed dramatically in the experimental group, and changes in 11-kT in parents were associated with boldness after parenting ceased. Our study is one of the first to assess proximate and ultimate explanations for changes in personality as a function of reproduction and parenting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura R. Stein
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Rebecca M. Trapp
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| | - Alison M. Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Pereira M, Ferreira A. Neuroanatomical and neurochemical basis of parenting: Dynamic coordination of motivational, affective and cognitive processes. Horm Behav 2016; 77:72-85. [PMID: 26296592 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2015] [Revised: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Becoming a parent is arguably the most profound transforming experience in life. It is also inherently very emotionally and physically demanding, such that the reciprocal interaction with the young changes the brain and behavior of the parents. In this review, we examine the neurobiological mechanisms of parenting primarily discussing recent research findings in rodents and primates, especially humans. We argue that it is essential to consider parenting within a conceptual framework that recognizes the dynamics of the reciprocal mother-young relationship, including both the complexity and neuroplasticity of its underlying mechanisms. Converging research suggests that the concerted activity of a distributed network of subcortical and cortical brain structures regulates different key aspects of parenting, including the sensory analysis of infant stimuli as well as motivational, affective and cognitive processes. The interplay among these processes depends on the action of various neurotransmitters and hormones that modulate the timely and coordinated execution of caregiving responses of the maternal circuitry exquisitely attuned to the young's affect, needs and developmental stage. We conclude with a summary and a set of questions that may guide future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Pereira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
| | - Annabel Ferreira
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Adult neurogenesis: a substrate for experience-dependent change. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:151-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
|
14
|
Saltzman W, Ziegler TE. Functional significance of hormonal changes in mammalian fathers. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:685-96. [PMID: 25039657 PMCID: PMC4995091 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In the 5-10% of mammals in which both parents routinely provide infant care, fathers as well as mothers undergo systematic endocrine changes as they transition into parenthood. Although fatherhood-associated changes in such hormones and neuropeptides as prolactin, testosterone, glucocorticoids, vasopressin and oxytocin have been characterised in only a small number of biparental rodents and primates, they appear to be more variable than corresponding changes in mothers, and experimental studies typically have not provided strong or consistent evidence that these endocrine shifts play causal roles in the activation of paternal care. Consequently, their functional significance remains unclear. We propose that endocrine changes in mammalian fathers may enable males to meet the species-specific demands of fatherhood by influencing diverse aspects of their behaviour and physiology, similar to many effects of hormones and neuropeptides in mothers. We review the evidence for such effects, focusing on recent studies investigating whether mammalian fathers in biparental species undergo systematic changes in (i) energetics and body composition; (ii) neural plasticity, cognition and sensory physiology; and (iii) stress responsiveness and emotionality, all of which may be mediated by endocrine changes. The few published studies, based on a small number of rodent and primate species, suggest that hormonal and neuropeptide alterations in mammalian fathers might mediate shifts in paternal energy balance, body composition and neural plasticity, although they do not appear to have major effects on stress responsiveness or emotionality. Further research is needed on a wider variety of biparental mammals, under more naturalistic conditions, to more fully determine the functional significance of hormone and neuropeptide profiles of mammalian fatherhood and to clarify how fatherhood may trade off with (or perhaps enhance) aspects of organismal function in biparental mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Saltzman
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside
| | - Toni E. Ziegler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Oxytocin and vasopressin support distinct configurations of social synchrony. Brain Res 2014; 1580:124-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.10.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
|
16
|
Swain J, Dayton C, Kim P, Tolman R, Volling B. PROGRESS ON THE PATERNAL BRAIN: THEORY, ANIMAL MODELS, HUMAN BRAIN RESEARCH, AND MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. Infant Ment Health J 2014; 35:394-408. [PMID: 25798491 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
With a secure foundation in basic research across mammalian species in which fathers participate in the raising of young, novel brain-imaging approaches are outlining a set of consistent brain circuits that regulate paternal thoughts and behaviors in humans. The newest experimental paradigms include increasingly realistic baby-stimuli to provoke paternal cognitions and behaviors with coordinated hormone measures to outline brain networks that regulate motivation, reflexive caring, emotion regulation, and social brain networks with differences and similarities to those found in mothers. In this article, on the father brain, we review all brain-imaging studies on PubMed to date on the human father brain and introduce the topic with a selection of theoretical models and foundational neurohormonal research on animal models in support of the human work. We discuss potentially translatable models for the identification and treatment of paternal mood and father-child relational problems, which could improve infant mental health and developmental trajectories with potentially broad public health importance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J.E. Swain
- University of Michigan and Yale University
| | - C.J. Dayton
- Wayne State University and University of Michigan
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lambert KG, Hyer MM, Rzucidlo AA, Bergeron T, Landis T, Bardi M. Contingency-based emotional resilience: effort-based reward training and flexible coping lead to adaptive responses to uncertainty in male rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:124. [PMID: 24808837 PMCID: PMC4009413 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional resilience enhances an animal's ability to maintain physiological allostasis and adaptive responses in the midst of challenges ranging from cognitive uncertainty to chronic stress. In the current study, neurobiological factors related to strategic responses to uncertainty produced by prediction errors were investigated by initially profiling male rats as passive, active or flexible copers (n = 12 each group) and assigning to either a contingency-trained or non-contingency trained group. Animals were subsequently trained in a spatial learning task so that problem solving strategies in the final probe task, as well-various biomarkers of brain activation and plasticity in brain areas associated with cognition and emotional regulation, could be assessed. Additionally, fecal samples were collected to further determine markers of stress responsivity and emotional resilience. Results indicated that contingency-trained rats exhibited more adaptive responses in the probe trial (e.g., fewer interrupted grooming sequences and more targeted search strategies) than the noncontingent-trained rats; additionally, increased DHEA/CORT ratios were observed in the contingent-trained animals. Diminished activation of the habenula (i.e., fos-immunoreactivity) was correlated with resilience factors such as increased levels of DHEA metabolites during cognitive training. Of the three coping profiles, flexible copers exhibited enhanced neuroplasticity (i.e., increased dentate gyrus doublecortin-immunoreactivity) compared to the more consistently responding active and passive copers. Thus, in the current study, contingency training via effort-based reward (EBR) training, enhanced by a flexible coping style, provided neurobiological resilience and adaptive responses to prediction errors in the final probe trial. These findings have implications for psychiatric illnesses that are influenced by altered stress responses and decision-making abilities (e.g., depression).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly G. Lambert
- Department of Psychology, Randolph-Macon CollegeAshland, VA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Lambert K, Franssen C, Hampton J, Rzucidlo A, Hyer M, True M, Kaufman C, Bardi M. Modeling paternal attentiveness: Distressed pups evoke differential neurobiological and behavioral responses in paternal and nonpaternal mice. Neuroscience 2013; 234:1-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Revised: 12/07/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
|
19
|
Lambert KG. The parental brain: Transformations and adaptations. Physiol Behav 2012; 107:792-800. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2012] [Revised: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
|
20
|
Atzil S, Hendler T, Zagoory-Sharon O, Winetraub Y, Feldman R. Synchrony and specificity in the maternal and the paternal brain: relations to oxytocin and vasopressin. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2012; 51:798-811. [PMID: 22840551 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Revised: 05/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/04/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Research on the neurobiology of parenting has defined biobehavioral synchrony, the coordination of biological and behavioral responses between parent and child, as a central process underpinning mammalian bond formation. Bi-parental rearing, typically observed in monogamous species, is similarly thought to draw on mechanisms of mother-father synchrony. METHOD We examined synchrony in mothers' and fathers' brain response to ecologically valid infant cues. Thirty mothers and fathers, comprising 15 couples parenting 4- to 6-month-old infants, were visited at home, and infant play was videotaped. Parents then underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning while observing own-infant compared with standard-infant videos. Coordination in brain response between mothers and fathers was assessed using a voxel-by-voxel algorithm, and gender-specific activations were also tested. Plasma oxytocin and arginine vasopressin, neuropeptides implicated in female and male bonding, were examined as correlates. RESULTS Online coordination in maternal and paternal brain activations emerged in social-cognitive networks implicated in empathy and social cognition. Mothers showed higher amygdala activations and correlations between amygdala response and oxytocin. Fathers showed greater activations in social-cognitive circuits, which correlated with vasopressin. CONCLUSIONS Parents coordinate online activity in social-cognitive networks that support intuitive understanding of infant signals and planning of adequate caregiving, whereas motivational-limbic activations may be gender specific. Although preliminary, these findings demonstrate synchrony in the brain response of two individuals within an attachment relationship, and may suggest that human attachment develops within the matrix of biological attunement and brain-to-brain synchrony between attachment partners.
Collapse
|
21
|
Reproductive experience facilitates recovery from kainic acid-induced neural insult in female Long–Evans rats. Brain Res 2012; 1454:80-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2011] [Revised: 03/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
22
|
|