Development of the Parental Brain in Humans

2020 ◽  
pp. 310-352
Author(s):  
Michael Numan
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Factor ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Gene By Environment Interactions ◽  
Intergenerational Continuity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Maternal Motivation ◽  
Parental Brain

Chapter 10 deals with the development of the parental brain in humans, emphasizing experiential influences on the intergenerational continuity of maternal behavior: A history of experiencing childhood maltreatment (CMT; maternal neglect and/or abuse) is associated with alterations in the development of the child’s parental brain, which may lead to subsequent deficits in its maternal behavior. The manner in which parents treat their children may affect the development of neural systems (a) that regulate emotionality, with poor parental care resulting in deficits in emotion regulation, and (b) that underpin maternal motivation, love, and empathy, with poor parental care decreasing these processes. Alterations in the development of medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, mesolimbic dopamine, oxytocin, corticotropin-releasing factor, and serotonin neural systems are involved, as are epigenetic effects. Not all mothers who experience CMT become poor mothers, and the involvement of gene by environment interactions are highlighted.

Development of the Parental Brain in Nonhuman Mammals

2020 ◽  
pp. 279-309
Author(s):  
Michael Numan
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Dopamine System ◽  
Mesolimbic Dopamine System ◽  
Maternal Treatment ◽  
Gene By Environment Interactions ◽  
Intergenerational Continuity ◽  
Maternal Motivation ◽  
Parental Brain

Chapter 9 examines the development of the parental brain in animals, emphasizing that the way a mother treats her offspring affects their brain development and their subsequent maternal behavior, leading to an intergenerational continuity of maternal phenotypes. Two proposals are evaluated. First, maternal treatment influences the development of maternal motivation circuits in offspring. In support, the development of medial preoptic area projections to the mesolimbic dopamine system is affected. Second, maternal treatment influences the development of neural systems that regulate anxiety and stress reactivity in offspring. In support, the development of medial prefrontal cortex regulation of amygdala reactivity to stressful situations is affected. Deficient development of maternal motivation circuits may contribute to neglectful maternal behavior; deficient development of emotion regulation circuits may contribute to abusive maternal behavior. Epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation, and gene by environment interactions are involved in these processes.

The Parental Brain in Humans

2020 ◽  
pp. 229-278
Author(s):  
Michael Numan
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Factor ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Maternal Brain ◽  
Imaging Research ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Maternal Cognitions ◽  
Parental Brain

Chapter 8 reviews the human parental brain. Most functional magnetic resonance imaging research has examined the maternal brain, with some research on the paternal brain. Although woman show allomaternal behavior, defensive neural circuits may depress maternal responsiveness under certain conditions. The subcortical circuits associated with human maternal behavior match those in nonhuman mammals and include medial preoptic area, mesolimbic dopamine, amygdala, and oxytocin neural systems. Interacting with these subcortical circuits are cortical regions, including dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, that are involved in maternal cognitions, empathy, emotions, and emotion regulation. The medial prefrontal cortex connects some of these cortical regions with the subcortical circuitry so that maternal cognitions and emotions can be translated into appropriate maternal behavior. The poor maternal behavior associated with postpartum depression may result from dysfunctions within these circuits, and alterations in corticotropin-releasing factor and OT may be involved.

Impact of childhood maltreatment and resilience on behavioral and neural patterns of inhibitory control during emotional distraction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Demers ◽  
Ruskin H. Hunt ◽  
Dante Cicchetti ◽  
Julia E. Cohen-Gilbert ◽  
Fred A. Rogosch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Behavioral Regulation ◽  
Frontal Pole ◽  
History Of ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Abstract Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) may disrupt typical development of neural systems underlying impulse control and emotion regulation. Yet resilient outcomes are observed in some individuals exposed to CM. Individual differences in adult functioning may result from variation in inhibitory control in the context of emotional distractions, underpinned by cognitive–affective brain circuits. Thirty-eight healthy adults with a history of substantiated CM and 34 nonmaltreated adults from the same longitudinal sample performed a Go/No-Go task in which task-relevant stimuli (letters) were presented at the center of task-irrelevant, negative, or neutral images, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The comparison group, but not the maltreated group, made increased inhibitory control errors in the context of negative, but not neutral, distractor images. In addition, the comparison group had greater right inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral frontal pole activation during inhibitory control blocks with negative compared to neutral background images relative to the CM group. Across the full sample, greater adaptive functioning in everyday contexts was associated with superior inhibitory control and greater right frontal pole activation. Results suggest that resilience following early adversity is associated with enhanced attention and behavioral regulation in the context of task-irrelevant negative emotional stimuli in a laboratory setting.

Patterns of Maternal Childhood Maltreatment and Disrupted Interaction Between Mothers and Their 4-Month-Old Infants

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755952110075
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Khoury ◽  
Lina Dimitrov ◽  
Michelle Bosquet Enlow ◽  
J. D. Haltigan ◽  
Elisa Bronfman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Abuse ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Child Interaction ◽  
History Of ◽  
Physical Neglect

Maternal childhood maltreatment (MCM) is associated with parenting disruptions which may contribute to the intergenerational transmission of negative health and social outcomes. Most prior work has used variable-centered approaches to assess MCM. Complementary person-centered approaches can identify groups of participants characterized by similar patterns of maltreatment. The current study assessed both types and patterns of MCM in relation to disrupted parenting among 179 mothers and their 4-month-olds. In variable-centered analyses, physical abuse was related to negative-intrusive maternal behavior and physical neglect to role-confused behavior. Person-centered analyses derived three classes of MCM, which differed in disrupted parenting. For example, mothers who experienced multiple types of maltreatment displayed more withdrawal than mothers in both other classes. Results document the differential effects of particular types and patterns of MCM on aspects of parenting and reveal that mother’s history of maltreatment can affect the quality of mother-child interaction as early as 4 months of age.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Michael Numan
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Parental Cognitions ◽  
Caregiving System ◽  
Intergenerational Continuity ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Parental Brain

The introduction provides a brief overview of the book, describing its three major themes: (a) the mechanisms through which the brain regulates parental behavior in nonhuman mammals and parental cognitions, emotions, and behavior in humans; (b) the experiential and genetic factors that affect the development of the parental brain, with a focus on the intergenerational continuity of normal and abnormal parental behavior; and (c) an evolutionary perspective based on the fact that maternal behavior is the most basic mammalian caregiving system. It is proposed that the parental brain served as a foundation upon which natural selection acted to result in the evolution of other forms of strong prosocial behaviors in mammals, including humans.

Roles of Psychological Distress and Social Support in the Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Perceived Needs for Mental Health Care

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110063
Author(s):  
Tingting Gao ◽  
Songli Mei ◽  
Muzi Li ◽  
Carl D’ Arcy ◽  
Xiangfei Meng
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Childhood maltreatment is a major public health issue worldwide. It increases a range of health-risk behaviors, psychological and physical problems, which are associated with an increased need for mental health services in adulthood. Identification of mediating factors in the relationship between maltreatment and seeking mental health care may help attenuate the negative consequences of childhood maltreatment and promote more appropriate treatment. This study aims to examine whether the relationship between childhood maltreatment and perceived need for mental health care is mediated by psychological distress and/or moderated by social support. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health 2012 are analyzed. A total of 8,993 participants, who had complete information on childhood maltreatment and diagnoses of mental disorders or psychological distress, are included in this study. Structural equation modeling and the PROCESS macro were used to identify relationships among childhood maltreatment, perceived needs for mental health care, and psychological distress. Hierarchical linear regression was then used to verify the moderated mediation model. We found that psychological distress partially mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment on perceived needs for mental health care in adulthood. Social support played an important role in terms of moderating the relationship between maltreatment and perceived needs for care. For those with a history of childhood maltreatment, those who perceived a low level of social support were more likely to have higher levels of psychological distress and perceived need for mental health care. This is the first study to identify the separate and combined roles of psychological distress and social support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and perceived need for mental health care. Selective prevention strategies should focus on social support to improve mental health services among people with a history of childhood maltreatment.

scholarly journals Emotion Recognition in Adults With a History of Childhood Maltreatment: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802110294
Author(s):  
Annie Bérubé ◽  
Jessica Turgeon ◽  
Caroline Blais ◽  
Daniel Fiset
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
History Of Childhood ◽  
History Of ◽  
Effects On Children ◽  
Meta Analyses

Child maltreatment has many well-documented lasting effects on children. Among its consequences, it affects children’s recognition of emotions. More and more studies are recognizing the lasting effect that a history of maltreatment can have on emotion recognition. A systematic literature review was conducted to better understand this relationship. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was used and four databases were searched, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and FRANCIS, using three cross-referenced key words: child abuse, emotion recognition, and adults. The search process identified 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The review highlights the wide variety of measures used to assess child maltreatment as well as the different protocols used to measure emotion recognition. The results indicate that adults with a history of childhood maltreatment show a differentiated reaction to happiness, anger, and fear. Happiness is less detected, whereas negative emotions are recognized more rapidly and at a lower intensity compared to adults not exposed to such traumatic events. Emotion recognition is also related to greater brain activation for the maltreated group. However, the results are less consistent for adults who also have a diagnosis of mental health problems. The systematic review found that maltreatment affects the perception of emotions expressed on both adult and child faces. However, more research is needed to better understand how a history of maltreatment is related to adults’ perception of children’s emotions.

Resting-State Connectivity Features of Resilience to Childhood Maltreatment in Those With and Without a History of Mood Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. S177
Author(s):  
Leah Thomas ◽  
Melinda Westlund Schreiner ◽  
Katie Bessette ◽  
Rebecca Easter ◽  
Alina Dillahunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mood Disorder ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Resting State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Resting State Connectivity

The Role of Maternal Self-efficacy in the Link Between Childhood Maltreatment and Maternal Stress During Transition to Motherhood

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110428
Author(s):  
Gabriella Bentley ◽  
Osnat Zamir
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Parental Stress ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
History Of Childhood ◽  
Transition To Motherhood ◽  
History Of

The transition to motherhood is a significant developmental milestone in many women’s lives. This transitional period may be more stressful for women with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) than for women without such a history. This study tested whether parental self-efficacy (PSE) accounts for the link between CM and parental stress in mothers transitioning to motherhood. The study used a convenience sample of 1,306 first-time mothers of children aged two years or younger. Mothers filled out online self-report questionnaires assessing history of CM, PSE, and prenatal stress. Consistent with the hypotheses, exposure to CM was directly associated with greater parental stress. Also, PSE partially mediated the associations between CM and parental stress, such that mothers with a history of childhood abuse reported a lower level of PSE, which in turn was associated with greater parental stress. In conclusion, the study highlights the important role of negative cognitions related to parenting for maternal dysfunction following exposure to childhood abuse. These findings suggest a need to incorporate preventive interventions designed to promote PSE for mothers exposed to CM. Such programs may alleviate parental stress and further support the healthy development of the child.

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