1
|
Shimon-Raz O, Yeshurun Y, Ulmer-Yaniv A, Levinkron A, Salomon R, Feldman R. Attachment Reminders Trigger Widespread Synchrony across Multiple Brains. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7213-7225. [PMID: 37813569 PMCID: PMC10601370 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0026-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Infant stimuli elicit widespread neural and behavioral response in human adults, and such massive allocation of resources attests to the evolutionary significance of the primary attachment. Here, we examined whether attachment reminders also trigger cross-brain concordance and generate greater neural uniformity, as indicated by intersubject correlation. Human mothers were imaged twice in oxytocin/placebo administration design, and stimuli included four ecological videos of a standard unfamiliar mother and infant: two infant/mother alone (Alone) and two mother-infant dyadic contexts (Social). Theory-driven analysis measured cross-brain synchrony in preregistered nodes of the parental caregiving network (PCN), which integrates subcortical structures underpinning mammalian mothering with cortical areas implicated in simulation, mentalization, and emotion regulation, and data-driven analysis assessed brain-wide concordance using whole-brain parcellation. Results demonstrated widespread cross-brain synchrony in both the PCN and across the neuroaxis, from primary sensory/somatosensory areas, through insular-cingulate regions, to temporal and prefrontal cortices. The Social context yielded significantly more cross-brain concordance, with PCNs striatum, parahippocampal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, ACC, and PFC displaying cross-brain synchrony only to mother-infant social cues. Moment-by-moment fluctuations in mother-infant social synchrony, ranging from episodes of low synchrony to tightly coordinated positive bouts, were tracked online by cross-brain concordance in the preregistered ACC. Findings indicate that social attachment stimuli, representing evolutionary-salient universal cues that require no verbal narrative, trigger substantial interbrain concordance and suggest that the mother-infant bond, an icon standing at the heart of human civilization, may function to glue brains into a unified experience and bind humans into social groups.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Infant stimuli elicit widespread neural response in human adults, attesting to their evolutionary significance, but do they also trigger cross-brain concordance and induce neural uniformity among perceivers? We measured cross-brain synchrony to ecological mother-infant videos. We used theory-driven analysis, measuring cross-brain concordance in the parenting network, and data-driven analysis, assessing brain-wide concordance using whole-brain parcellation. Attachment cues triggered widespread cross-brain concordance in both the parenting network and across the neuroaxis. Moment-by-moment fluctuations in behavioral synchrony were tracked online by cross-brain variability in ACC. Attachment reminders bind humans' brains into a unitary experience and stimuli characterized by social synchrony enhance neural similarity among participants, describing one mechanism by which attachment bonds provide the neural template for the consolidation of social groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yaara Yeshurun
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | | | - Ayelet Levinkron
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Roy Salomon
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Giacchetti N, Lattanzi GM, Aceti F, Vanacore N, Williams R. States of Mind with Respect to Attachment: a comparative study between women who killed their children and mothers diagnosed with post-partum depression. Nord J Psychiatry 2023; 77:3-13. [PMID: 35200074 DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2022.2039760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Attachment theory has been linked with the caregiving system, acting as a drive for a mother's behavior towards her offspring. The most dramatic consequence of distress following maternity is filicide. Despite this, only few studies addressed the attachment models of women who committed filicide, and very little provided comparisons with mothers diagnosed with post-partum depression. OBJECTIVE We described the socio-demographic and psychopathological characteristics of mothers who committed filicide. Our aim was to detect differences in the attachment models between mothers who committed filicide, mothers with post-partum depression and control mothers. Participants and setting: We recruited 19 women who committed filicide (group F) along with 52 women with post-partum depression (group D), and 23 control mothers (group C). METHODS We administered a semi-structured interview on socio-demographic aspects and psychiatric history along with the Adult Attachment Interview. We performed an ANOVA, a post-hoc analysis and a logistic regression. RESULTS The logistic regression showed a higher prevalence of Dismissing and Disorganized attachments in women of group F compared with group C (p = 0.002, p = 0.007). Dismissing attachment was also overrepresented in group D vs group C (p = 0.012). Interestingly, women of group F showed a Preoccupied/entangled attachment to a lesser extent than those of group D, reaching a borderline significance (p = 0.056). CONCLUSIONS Disorganized and Dismissing models of attachment are prevalent in women who committed filicide compared with mothers with post-partum depression and controls, while other models of attachment are less frequent. Therefore, attachment could be taken into consideration to define the risk for committing filicide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Giacchetti
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Sapienza Università di Roma - Policlinico Umberto I, Roma, Italy
| | - Guido Maria Lattanzi
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Sapienza Università di Roma - Policlinico Umberto I, Roma, Italy
| | - Franca Aceti
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Sapienza Università di Roma - Policlinico Umberto I, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Williams
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Caria A, Dall’Ò GM. Functional Neuroimaging of Human Hypothalamus in Socioemotional Behavior: A Systematic Review. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060707. [PMID: 35741594 PMCID: PMC9221465 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060707] [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: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
There exist extensive animal research and lesion studies in humans demonstrating a tight association between the hypothalamus and socioemotional behavior. However, human neuroimaging literature in this direction is still rather limited. In order to reexamine the functional role of this region in regulating human social behavior, we here provided a synthesis of neuroimaging studies showing hypothalamic activation during affiliative, cooperative interactions, and in relation to ticklish laughter and humor. In addition, studies reporting involvement of the hypothalamus during aggressive and antisocial interactions were also considered. Our systematic review revealed a growing number of investigations demonstrating that the evolutionary conserved hypothalamic neural circuity is involved in multiple and diverse aspects of human socioemotional behavior. On the basis of the observed heterogeneity of hypothalamus-mediated socioemotional responses, we concluded that the hypothalamus might play an extended functional role for species survival and preservation, ranging from exploratory and approaching behaviors promoting social interactions to aggressive and avoidance responses protecting and defending the established social bonds.
Collapse
|
4
|
Tambelli R, Trentini C, Dentale F. Predictive and Incremental Validity of Parental Representations During Pregnancy on Child Attachment. Front Public Health 2020; 8:439449. [PMID: 33344391 PMCID: PMC7738461 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.439449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental pre-natal representations predict the interactive patterns that parents will put in place after childbirth. Early interactions defined by high parental emotional availability (EA) influence the development of security in children. To date, research on the predictive role of parental pre-natal representations on child attachment is still poor. Moreover, investigations on pre-natal representations have mainly focused on mothers. This study aimed at: investigating the criterion validity of the Interview of Maternal Representations During Pregnancy-Revised (IRMAG-R) and of the Interview of Paternal Representations During Pregnancy (IRPAG), using EA, parental attachment, and child attachment toward both parents, as criteria; testing the incremental validity of the IRMAG-R and IRPAG in the prediction of child attachment, controlling for other covariates, such as depressive and anxious levels during pregnancy, EA, and parental attachment; evaluating the possible mediation role of EA on the relationship between parental representations during pregnancy and child attachment. Fifty couples of primiparous parents were recruited during pregnancy, when the IRMAG-R and IRPAG were administered to mothers and fathers. At 6–9 months after childbirth, the mother–child and father–child interactions were coded by means of the EA Scales (EAS). At 14–18 after childbirth, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was administered to parents, and the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) was carried out to assess children's attachment toward mothers and fathers, respectively. The results showed significant correlations between parental pre-natal representations and EA, parental attachment and child attachment. As regards the prediction of child attachment, the IRMAG-R/IRPAG categories showed: a significant and large unique contribution for maternal representations; a close to be significant contribution for paternal representations (with a higher effect size for mothers than fathers). Moreover, while the indirect effect of pre-natal representations in the prediction of child attachment was not significant for mothers, it was instead significant for fathers. The results of this study confirmed the criterion validity of the IRMAG-R and IRPAG, and supported the incremental validity of the IRMAG-R and IRPAG in the prediction of children's attachment categories. Finally, the mediation models revealed that EA did not mediate the relationship between maternal pre-natal representations and child attachment, while it totally mediated the relationship between paternal pre-natal representations and child attachment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renata Tambelli
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Trentini
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Dentale
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Color perception influences attention processing in females with different attachment styles. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-018-0123-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
6
|
Long M, Verbeke W, Ein-Dor T, Vrtička P. A functional neuro-anatomical model of human attachment (NAMA): Insights from first- and second-person social neuroscience. Cortex 2020; 126:281-321. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
7
|
Turpyn CC, Niehaus C, Faundez F, Thompson JC, Chaplin TM. Maternal Neurobiological Processing of Negative Adolescent Stimuli: Relations With Positive Parenting and Relationship Quality. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2020; 30 Suppl 2:458-471. [PMID: 30900798 PMCID: PMC6755080 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
We examined associations between maternal affective neurobiology and positive parenting in a study of 20 mothers of adolescents. Mothers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during an emotion image task, rated parent-adolescent relationship quality, and completed an adolescent interaction task in which positive parenting behaviors were observed. Maternal structure was associated with lower responsivity in emotional processing regions in the general negative image contrast and was related to greater dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation to negative adolescent images. Parent-adolescent relationship quality was associated with lower precuneus activation to negative adolescent images. Findings are among the first to connect functional brain processing with observed parenting behaviors for parents of adolescent children, and underscore the relative importance of affective processing in parenting older children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin C. Turpyn
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - Claire Niehaus
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - Francisca Faundez
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - James C. Thompson
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - Tara M. Chaplin
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ma Y, Hu N, Liu G, Chen X. State attachment moderates the maternal-related neural responses to infant faces. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 147:83-92. [PMID: 31756407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Adult attachment is particularly known for the modulating role of caregiving motivation and behavior. Although most studies consider attachment style relatively stable, it may also be affected by various situational factors, and these temporary fluctuations are related to meaningful behaviors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the present study aims to examine whether neural responses to infant faces are moderated by participants' state attachment. The results indicated that state attachment security was positively associated with increased inferior orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and insula activation to infant crying. State attachment anxiety was positively associated with increased insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activation to infant crying as well as enhanced cuneus activation to infant joy. In contrast, state attachment avoidance was negatively associated with amygdala activity in response to both infant joy and crying as well as insula and ACC activation in response to infant joy. Moderation analysis found that the relationship between the prediction effect of state attachment avoidance on ACC activity was gradually weakened with the attenuation of participants' trait attachment avoidance. These results demonstrate that neural responses to infant faces are moderated by individual differences in state attachment, thereby demonstrating that state attachment is an effective measure to capture the variation in maternal ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxiao Ma
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Na Hu
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Guangzeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing 400715, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ma Y, Ma H, Chen X. Security priming improves attentional processing to infant emotions among insecurely attached women: The different roles of supraliminal and subliminal priming. Neuropsychologia 2019; 134:107216. [PMID: 31580880 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In two ERP experiments, we examined the attention-related mechanism involved in perceiving infant emotions following exposure to security priming. Specifically, we examined how security priming affected securely and insecurely attached women. We found that both supraliminal and subliminal security priming resulted in increased attention allocation in anxiously and avoidantly attached women but had no effect on securely attached women. Moreover, we also found that supraliminal and subliminal security priming differed in their effectiveness in increasing attention allocation among anxiously and avoidantly attached women. Supraliminal security priming were more effective for anxiously attached women, whereas subliminal security priming were more effective for avoidantly attached women. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxiao Ma
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Haijing Ma
- Department of Communication, The University of OKlahoma, Oklahoma City, 73019, United States
| | - Xu Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wessing I, Platzbecker F, Dehghan-Nayyeri M, Romer G, Pfleiderer B. Maternal perception of children's fear: A fMRI study in mothers of preschool children. Soc Neurosci 2019; 14:739-750. [PMID: 30890024 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2019.1592773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
A secure attachment relationship is facilitated by a mother´s ability to perceive her child´s emotions, especially her child´s fear. Prior studies showed that maternal perception of an own child activated a neural network including amygdala, insula and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Results for different emotions were inconsistent and there are no reports on children´s fear. The goal of this study was to investigate neural responses of 17 mothers to photos of their own and an unknown preschool child with happy and fearful expressions by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whole brain analyses showed that a fearful (vs. happy) own child elicited larger activity in the visual cortex. Region of interest (ROI) analyses (amygdala, insula, NAcc) revealed stronger responses to a happy (vs. fearful) unknown child, but equally strong responses to one´s own child´s expressions. Moreover, an own (vs. unknown) fearful child elicited larger activity in the insula and NAcc. This suggests that mothers allocated more visual attention towards their own child´s fear, but showed consistent emotional involvement with their own child across expressions. Mothers might respond with stronger empathy and approach motivation towards an own (vs. unknown) fearful child, in line with a key role of fear in the attachment relationship.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ida Wessing
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Muenster , Muenster , Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience , Muenster , Germany
| | - Frieda Platzbecker
- Department of Clinical Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Muenster- and University Hospital Muenster , Muenster , Germany
| | - Mahboobeh Dehghan-Nayyeri
- Department of Clinical Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Muenster- and University Hospital Muenster , Muenster , Germany.,Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LVR Clinic, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf , Duesseldorf , Germany
| | - Georg Romer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Muenster , Muenster , Germany
| | - Bettina Pfleiderer
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience , Muenster , Germany.,Department of Clinical Radiology, Medical Faculty, University of Muenster- and University Hospital Muenster , Muenster , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Steelman B. Attachment-based therapy for elder suffering PTSD symptoms: A narrative of modeling efficacy for improved outcomes. Perspect Psychiatr Care 2019; 55:72-74. [PMID: 29897630 DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This paper will acquaint the psychiatric nurse with attachment theory-based therapy through a narrative of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment of a Vietnam veteran with a history of compound trauma in childhood. DESIGN AND METHODS Application of attachment-based therapy is discussed within the context of its guiding principles and tenets. FINDINGS Attachment-based therapy is effective in reducing PTSD symptoms in a Vietnam veteran through forming secure base scripts from which the patient better evaluated and managed stressors, resulting in improved life functioning. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Attachment theory provides valuable tools with which to treat PTSD sufferers by utilizing nurses' expert skills in establishing rapport and relationship building to form the basis of effectual therapy.
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
In this editorial, I suggest that no psychiatrist should be without a working knowledge of attachment theory, and it is a capability that all trainees should cover in the proposed new curriculum. I have focused on three domains of research to argue that attachment theory is relevant to practicing psychiatrists.Declaration of interestNone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gwen Adshead
- Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist,Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust,Hampshire Pathfinder Service,UK
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Williams B, Jalilianhasanpour R, Matin N, Fricchione GL, Sepulcre J, Keshavan MS, LaFrance WC, Dickerson BC, Perez DL. Individual differences in corticolimbic structural profiles linked to insecure attachment and coping styles in motor functional neurological disorders. J Psychiatr Res 2018; 102:230-237. [PMID: 29702433 PMCID: PMC6005758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insecure attachment and maladaptive coping are important predisposing vulnerabilities for Functional Neurological Disorders (FND)/Conversion Disorder, yet no prior structural neuroimaging studies have investigated biomarkers associated with these risk factors in FND populations. This magnetic resonance imaging study examined cortical thickness and subcortical volumes associated with self-reported attachment and coping styles in patients with FND. We hypothesized that insecure attachment and maladaptive coping would relate to limbic-paralimbic structural alterations. METHODS FreeSurfer cortical thickness and subcortical volumetric analyses were performed in 26 patients with motor FND (21 women; 5 men) and 27 healthy controls (22 women; 5 men). For between-group comparisons, patients with FND were stratified by Relationship Scales Questionnaire, Ways of Coping Scale-Revised, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale scores. Within-group analyses were also performed in patients with FND. All analyses were performed in the complete cohort and separately in women only to evaluate for gender-specific effects. Cortical thickness analyses were whole-brain corrected at the cluster-wise level; subcortical analyses were Bonferroni corrected. RESULTS In women with FND, dismissing attachment correlated with reduced left parahippocampal cortical thickness. Confrontive coping was associated with reduced right hippocampal volume, while accepting responsibility positively correlated with right precentral gyrus cortical thickness. These findings held adjusting for anti-depressant use. All FND-related findings were within the normal range when compared to healthy women. CONCLUSION These observations connect individual-differences in limbic-paralimbic and premotor structures to attachment and coping styles in FND. The relationship between parahippocampal thickness and dismissing attachment may indicate aberrant social-emotional and contextual appraisal in women with FND.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Williams
- Department of Neurology, Functional Neurology Research Group, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rozita Jalilianhasanpour
- Department of Neurology, Functional Neurology Research Group, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nassim Matin
- Department of Neurology, Functional Neurology Research Group, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gregory L. Fricchione
- Department of Psychiatry, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Matcheri S. Keshavan
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - W. Curt LaFrance
- Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Brown University, Alpert Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Bradford C. Dickerson
- Department of Neurology, Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David L. Perez
- Department of Neurology, Functional Neurology Research Group, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Mitkovic Voncina M, Pejovic Milovancevic M, Mandic Maravic V, Lecic Tosevski D. Timeline of Intergenerational Child Maltreatment: the Mind-Brain-Body Interplay. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2017; 19:50. [PMID: 28664328 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-017-0805-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Still obscure mechanisms of intergenerational child maltreatment (ITCM) have been investigated partially, from various psychological and biological perspectives and from various time perspectives. This review is aimed at integrating the findings on different temporal ITCM pathways, emphasizing the mind-brain-body interplay. RECENT FINDINGS Psychological mediators of ITCM involve attachment, mentalization, dissociation, social information processing, personality traits, and psychiatric disorders. Neurobiological findings mostly refer to the neural correlates of caregiving and attachment behaviors, affected by several physiological systems (stress-response, immune, oxytocin), which also affect physical health. The latest research clusters around the epigenetic pathways of ITCM, suggesting the additional, prenatal, and preconception forms of transmission. Data suggest that ITCM needs to be conceptualized as a longitudinal process, with various interrelated psychological, neurodevelopmental, and somatic paths. Future research and prevention should take into account both, each path and each phase of ITCM, in an integrative way.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marija Mitkovic Voncina
- Institute of Mental Health, Palmoticeva 37, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.,Belgrade University, Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milica Pejovic Milovancevic
- Institute of Mental Health, Palmoticeva 37, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.,Belgrade University, Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Dusica Lecic Tosevski
- Institute of Mental Health, Palmoticeva 37, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia. .,Belgrade University, Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia. .,Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ma Y, Ran G, Chen X, Ma H, Hu N. Adult Attachment Styles Associated with Brain Activity in Response to Infant Faces in Nulliparous Women: An Event-Related Potentials Study. Front Psychol 2017; 8:627. [PMID: 28484415 PMCID: PMC5399025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult attachment style is a key for understanding emotion regulation and feelings of security in human interactions as well as for the construction of the caregiving system. The caregiving system is a group of representations about affiliative behaviors, which is guided by the caregiver's sensitivity and empathy, and is mature in young adulthood. Appropriate perception and interpretation of infant emotions is a crucial component of the formation of a secure attachment relationship between infant and caregiver. As attachment styles influence the ways in which people perceive emotional information, we examined how different attachment styles associated with brain response to the perception of infant facial expressions in nulliparous females with secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment styles. The event-related potentials of 65 nulliparous females were assessed during a facial recognition task with joy, neutral, and crying infant faces. The results showed that anxiously attached females exhibited larger N170 amplitudes than those with avoidant attachment in response to all infant faces. Regarding the P300 component, securely attached females showed larger amplitudes to all infant faces in comparison with avoidantly attached females. Moreover, anxiously attached females exhibited greater amplitudes than avoidantly attached females to only crying infant faces. In conclusion, the current results provide evidence that attachment style differences are associated with brain responses to the perception of infant faces. Furthermore, these findings further separate the psychological mechanisms underlying the caregiving behavior of those with anxious and avoidant attachment from secure attachment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxiao Ma
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest UniversityChongqing, China.,Research Center of Mental Health Education, Southwest UniversityChongqing, China
| | - Guangming Ran
- Institute of Education, China West Normal UniversityNanchong, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest UniversityChongqing, China.,Research Center of Mental Health Education, Southwest UniversityChongqing, China
| | - Haijing Ma
- School of Foreign Languages for Business, Southwestern University of Finance and EconomicsChengdu, China
| | - Na Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest UniversityChongqing, China.,Research Center of Mental Health Education, Southwest UniversityChongqing, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Li B, Cheng G, Zhang D, Wei D, Qiao L, Wang X, Che X. Regional Brain Responses Are Biased Toward Infant Facial Expressions Compared to Adult Facial Expressions in Nulliparous Women. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166860. [PMID: 27977692 PMCID: PMC5157986 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that neutral infant faces compared to neutral adult faces elicit greater activity in brain areas associated with face processing, attention, empathic response, reward, and movement. However, whether infant facial expressions evoke larger brain responses than adult facial expressions remains unclear. Here, we performed event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging in nulliparous women while they were presented with images of matched unfamiliar infant and adult facial expressions (happy, neutral, and uncomfortable/sad) in a pseudo-randomized order. We found that the bilateral fusiform and right lingual gyrus were overall more activated during the presentation of infant facial expressions compared to adult facial expressions. Uncomfortable infant faces compared to sad adult faces evoked greater activation in the bilateral fusiform gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex-thalamus, and precuneus. Neutral infant faces activated larger brain responses in the left fusiform gyrus compared to neutral adult faces. Happy infant faces compared to happy adult faces elicited larger responses in areas of the brain associated with emotion and reward processing using a more liberal threshold of p < 0.005 uncorrected. Furthermore, the level of the test subjects' Interest-In-Infants was positively associated with the intensity of right fusiform gyrus response to infant faces and uncomfortable infant faces compared to sad adult faces. In addition, the Perspective Taking subscale score on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index-Chinese was significantly correlated with precuneus activity during uncomfortable infant faces compared to sad adult faces. Our findings suggest that regional brain areas may bias cognitive and emotional responses to infant facial expressions compared to adult facial expressions among nulliparous women, and this bias may be modulated by individual differences in Interest-In-Infants and perspective taking ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bingbing Li
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Gang Cheng
- School of Educational Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Dajun Zhang
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Dongtao Wei
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Lei Qiao
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiangpeng Wang
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Xianwei Che
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Borgi M, Cirulli F. Pet Face: Mechanisms Underlying Human-Animal Relationships. Front Psychol 2016; 7:298. [PMID: 27014120 PMCID: PMC4782005 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating behavioral and neurophysiological studies support the idea of infantile (cute) faces as highly biologically relevant stimuli rapidly and unconsciously capturing attention and eliciting positive/affectionate behaviors, including willingness to care. It has been hypothesized that the presence of infantile physical and behavioral features in companion (or pet) animals (i.e., dogs and cats) might form the basis of our attraction to these species. Preliminary evidence has indeed shown that the human attentional bias toward the baby schema may extend to animal facial configurations. In this review, the role of facial cues, specifically of infantile traits and facial signals (i.e., eyes gaze) as emotional and communicative signals is highlighted and discussed as regulating the human-animal bond, similarly to what can be observed in the adult-infant interaction context. Particular emphasis is given to the neuroendocrine regulation of the social bond between humans and animals through oxytocin secretion. Instead of considering companion animals as mere baby substitutes for their owners, in this review we highlight the central role of cats and dogs in human lives. Specifically, we consider the ability of companion animals to bond with humans as fulfilling the need for attention and emotional intimacy, thus serving similar psychological and adaptive functions as human-human friendships. In this context, facial cuteness is viewed not just as a releaser of care/parental behavior, but, more in general, as a trait motivating social engagement. To conclude, the impact of this information for applied disciplines is briefly described, particularly in consideration of the increasing evidence of the beneficial effects of contacts with animals for human health and wellbeing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Borgi
- Section of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Cirulli
- Section of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|