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Cárdenas SI, Waizman Y, Truong V, Sellery P, Stoycos SA, Yeh FC, Rajagopalan V, Saxbe DE. White matter microstructure organization across the transition to fatherhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 67:101374. [PMID: 38615555 PMCID: PMC11021911 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The transition to parenthood remains an understudied window of potential neuroplasticity in the adult brain. White matter microstructural (WMM) organization, which reflects structural connectivity in the brain, has shown plasticity across the lifespan. No studies have examined how WMM organization changes from the prenatal to postpartum period in men becoming fathers. This study investigates WMM organization in men transitioning to first-time fatherhood. We performed diffusion-weighted imaging to identify differences in WMM organization, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA). We also investigated whether FA changes were associated with fathers' postpartum mental health. Associations between mental health and WMM organization have not been rarely examined in parents, who may be vulnerable to mental health problems. Fathers exhibited reduced FA at the whole-brain level, especially in the cingulum, a tract associated with emotional regulation. Fathers also displayed reduced FA in the corpus callosum, especially in the forceps minor, which is implicated in cognitive functioning. Postpartum depressive symptoms were linked with increases and decreases in FA, but FA was not correlated with perceived or parenting stress. Findings provide novel insight into fathers' WMM organization during the transition to parenthood and suggest postpartum depression may be linked with fathers' neuroplasticity during the transition to parenthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia I Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Yael Waizman
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Van Truong
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Pia Sellery
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Sarah A Stoycos
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Fang-Cheng Yeh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Vidya Rajagopalan
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Darby E Saxbe
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA.
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Kurata S, Nishitani S, Kawata NYS, Yao A, Fujisawa TX, Okazawa H, Tomoda A. Diffusion tensor imaging of white-matter structural features of maltreating mothers and their associations with intergenerational chain of childhood abuse. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5671. [PMID: 38453944 PMCID: PMC10920819 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53666-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Child abuse causes lifelong adverse outcomes for both physical and mental health, although many are resilient. Efforts to prevent this issue from the parental side require an understanding of the neurobiological basis that leads abusive parents to perpetrate abuse and the influence of the intergenerational chain of childhood abuse. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the brain white-matter fiber structures between 11 maltreating mothers who had been recognized as having conducted child abuse prior to the intervention and 40 age-matched control mothers using tract-based spatial statistics. There was a significantly reduced axial diffusivity (AD) and a similar trend in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right corticospinal tract in maltreating mothers compared to control mothers. Therefore, maltreating mothers may have excessive control over the forcefulness of voluntary movements. These features also decreased as the number of childhood abuse experiences increased, suggesting that an intergenerational chain of child abuse may also be involved. Other aspects observed were that the higher the current depressive symptoms, the lower the AD and FA values; however, they were not related to parental practice or empathy. These results corroborate the neurobiological features that perpetrate behaviors in abusive mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawa Kurata
- Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
- Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
- University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, Fukui, Japan
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Shota Nishitani
- Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
- Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
- Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
- University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan.
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
- Life Science Innovation Center, School of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
| | - Natasha Y S Kawata
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Akiko Yao
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Takashi X Fujisawa
- Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
- Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
- University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
- Life Science Innovation Center, School of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Hidehiko Okazawa
- Life Science Innovation Center, School of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Akemi Tomoda
- Division of Developmental Higher Brain Functions, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
- Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
- Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
- University of Fukui, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, Fukui, Japan.
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
- Life Science Innovation Center, School of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
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Riem MME, Witte AM, Lotz AM, Cima M, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Parental protection in fathers with negative caregiving experiences: Heightened amygdala reactivity to infant threatening situations. J Neuroendocrinol 2022:e13230. [PMID: 36648172 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Parental protection is an important, yet understudied, aspect of parenting behavior. Predictors of the quality of protection and potential underlying neural mechanisms are still unknown. In this study, we examined whether negative caregiving experiences in fathers' own childhood are related to protective behavior and neural reactivity to infant threatening situations. Paternal protective behavior was measured with self- and partner-reported protective behavior and behavioral observations in an experimental set-up (auditory startling task) in 121 first-time fathers (mean age child = 19.35 weeks, SD = 11.27). Neural activation during exposure to videos of infant-threatening (vs. neutral) situations was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We found a significant and positive association between negative caregiving experiences and amygdala reactivity to infant-threatening situations. A history of negative caregiving experiences was not significantly related to reported or observed paternal protective behavior. Our findings suggest that fathers with negative caregiving experiences show emotional hyperreactivity to cues of infant threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madelon M E Riem
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Annemieke M Witte
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anna M Lotz
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Maaike Cima
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, University of London, London, UK
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Gettler LT, Barr R. Fathers, families, and physiology: Exploring the psychobiological context of fathering. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22267. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.22267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lee T. Gettler
- Department of Anthropology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Rachel Barr
- Department of Psychology Georgetown University Washington D.C. USA
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Abraham E, Feldman R. The Neural Basis of Human Fatherhood: A Unique Biocultural Perspective on Plasticity of Brain and Behavior. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2022; 25:93-109. [PMID: 35122559 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-022-00381-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
With the growing involvement of fathers in childrearing and the application of neuroscientific tools to research on parenting, there is a need to understand how a father's brain and neurohormonal systems accommodate the transition to parenthood and how such neurobiological changes impact children's mental health, sociality, and family functioning. In this paper, we present a theoretical model on the human father's brain and the neural adaptations that take place when fathers assume an involved role. The neurobiology of fatherhood shows great variability across individuals, societies, and cultures and is shaped to a great extent by bottom-up caregiving experiences and the amount of childrearing responsibilities. Mechanisms of mother-father coparental brain coordination and hormonal correlates of paternal behavior are detailed. Adaptations in the father's brain during pregnancy and across the postpartum year carry long-term implications for children's emotion regulation, stress management, and symptom formation. We propose a new conceptual model of HEALthy Father Brain that describes how a father's brain serves as a source of resilience in the context of family adversity and its capacity to "heal", protect, and foster social brain maturation and functionality in family members via paternal sensitivity, attunement, and support, which, in turn, promote child development and healthy family functioning. Father's brain provides a unique model on neural plasticity as sustained by committed acts of caregiving, thereby affording a novel perspective on the brain basis of human affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Abraham
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, 46150, Herzliya, Israel. .,Department of Psychiatry-Child and Adolescent, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA.
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, 46150, Herzliya, Israel. .,Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Condon EM, Dettmer A, Baker E, McFaul C, Stover CS. Early Life Adversity and Males: Biology, Behavior, and Implications for Fathers' Parenting. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104531. [PMID: 35063493 PMCID: PMC9236197 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Fathers have an important and unique influence on child development, but influences on fathers' parenting have been vastly understudied in the scientific literature. In particular, very little empirical research exists on the effects of early life adversity (ELA; e.g. childhood maltreatment, parental separation) on later parenting among fathers. In this review, we draw from both the human and non-human animal literature to examine the effects of ELA, specifically among males, in the following areas: 1) neurobiology and neurocognitive functioning, 2) hormones and hormone receptors, 3) gene-environment interactions and epigenetics, and 4) behavior and development. Based on these findings, we present a conceptual model to describe the biological and behavioral pathways through which exposure to ELA may influence parenting among males, with a goal of guiding future research and intervention development in this area. Empirical studies are needed to improve understanding of the relationship between ELA and father's parenting, inform the development of paternal and biparental interventions, and prevent intergenerational transmission of ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen M Condon
- University of Connecticut School of Nursing, 231 Glenbrook Rd, Storrs CT 06269, United States; Yale Early Stress and Adversity Consortium, United States.
| | - Amanda Dettmer
- Yale Early Stress and Adversity Consortium, United States; Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States
| | - Ellie Baker
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States; Division of Psychology and Language Science, University College London (UCL), 26 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London WC1H 0AP, United Kingdom
| | - Ciara McFaul
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States
| | - Carla Smith Stover
- Yale Early Stress and Adversity Consortium, United States; Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States
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