Neurobiology of Parental Regulation of the Infant and Its Disruption by Trauma Within Attachment

Prenatal Opioid Exposure and Maternal-Infant Coregulation as Indicators of Early Infant Neurodevelopment

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the short- and long-term effects of prenatal opioid exposure on infant neurodevelopment. Infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) are often admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) where the development of coregulation between mothers and infants is easily disrupted. Understanding early mother-infant coregulation is needed to guide intervention strategies for these high-risk mother-infant dyads.

PURPOSE

Explore the impact of prenatal opioid exposure on mother-infant coregulation, as an indicator of early infant neurodevelopment, in response to a standardized stress experiment, the Still Face Paradigm (SFP).

METHODS

A prospective cohort design was used to enroll opioid-exposed (N = 11) and non-exposed (N = 13) mother-infant dyads, when infants discharged from the NICU were 6 to 9 months. Dyadic heart rate variability (HRV) data were used as a measure of coregulation and were recorded using heart rate monitors during the 3 phases of the SFP: (a) baseline, (b) still-face, or flat affect, and (c) reunion. We conducted analyses to determine differences within the HRV dyad profiles.

RESULTS

HRV profiles differed between the 2 study groups. In the opioid-exposed group: (a) infants exhibited more irregular autonomic processes, (b) mothers had higher HRV baselines, and (c) there was an overall dysregulation between mothers and infants compared to the non-opioid exposed group.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH

These differences may suggest that prenatal opioid exposure contributes to difficulty with dyadic co-regulation which may negatively impact early infant neurodevelopment. Additional research is needed to better understand the role of prenatal opioid exposure in infant neurodevelopment.

Mothering matters: Towards a better understanding of disrupted infant-caregiver relationships in both mother and offspring

The mother-infant bond is among the strongest social relationships formed in humans and nonhuman mammals. As such, disrupted infant-caregiver relationships have the capacity to result in potent adverse effects not only in the offspring, but also in the mother. Here, I provide a brief overview of my prior work showing adversity-induced alterations in offspring and maternal behavioral and brain function. I also share my vision for future directions for developmental and maternal neurobiology research in the context of stress and/or adversity exposure.

Selective breeding of rats for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour: A unique model for comorbid depression and social dysfunctions

Animal models of selective breeding for extremes in emotionality are a strong experimental approach to model psychopathologies. They became indispensable in order to increase our understanding of neurobiological, genetic, epigenetic, hormonal, and environmental mechanisms contributing to anxiety disorders and their association with depressive symptoms or social deficits. In the present review, we extensively discuss Wistar rats selectively bred for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour on the elevated plus-maze. After 30 years of breeding, we can confirm the prominent differences between HAB and LAB rats in trait anxiety, which are accompanied by consistent differences in depressive-like, social and cognitive behaviours. We can further confirm a single nucleotide polymorphism in the vasopressin promotor of HAB rats causative for neuropeptide overexpression, and show that low (or high) anxiety and fear levels are unlikely due to visual dysfunctions. Thus, HAB and LAB rats continue to exist as a reliable tool to study the multiple facets underlying the pathology of high trait anxiety and its comorbidity with depression-like behaviour and social dysfunctions.

1000 Days: The "WeCare Generation" Program-The Ultimate Model for Improving Human Mental Health and Economics: The Study Protocol

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the necessity of a new resilience of the human population and health system. The "WeCare Generation" program is a new proposal of territorial intervention, with a new paradigm, on the diseases of the human body and mind.

BACKGROUND

In recent decades, the independent strands of investigation on brain plasticity and early trauma consequences have demonstrated that traumatic experiences in the period from pregnancy to the age of 3 years have an enormous impact on an individual's future development, and both physical and mental health. Research shows that adverse child experiences (ACEs) are associated with a strong risk of conditions such as: harmful alcohol use, smoking, illicit drug use, high body-mass index, depression, anxiety, interpersonal violence, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke respiratory diseases and, as a consequence, to a high financial cost in Italy and also across Europe (1-9% GDP) and the USA (total annual costs estimated to be USD 581 billion in Europe and USD 748 billion in North America). All this suggests that an early intervention on that traumatized-slice of population leads to multiplied savings.

METHODS

A multi-center, randomized, controlled trial was designed. The parents of the future neonatal population (from pregnancy to delivery) with trauma will be enrolled, and randomized to treatment, or control arm. The article describes in detail how the primary outpoint (cost to the national health system), and some secondary outpoints, will be collected.

DISCUSSION

An overall rate of return on investment (ROI) statistically significant 13.0% per annum with an associated benefit/cost ratio (BCR) of 6.3 is expected as the primary outcome of the "WeCare Generation" program. Our proposed model predicts a new medical paradigm aiming to empower new generations, with a strong return on economy and health.