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Nguyen T, Kungl MT, Hoehl S, White LO, Vrtička P. Visualizing the invisible tie: Linking parent-child neural synchrony to parents' and children's attachment representations. Dev Sci 2024:e13504. [PMID: 38523055 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
It is a central tenet of attachment theory that individual differences in attachment representations organize behavior during social interactions. Secure attachment representations also facilitate behavioral synchrony, a key component of adaptive parent-child interactions. Yet, the dynamic neural processes underlying these interactions and the potential role of attachment representations remain largely unknown. A growing body of research indicates that interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) could be a potential neurobiological correlate of high interaction and relationship quality. In this study, we examined whether interpersonal neural and behavioral synchrony during parent-child interaction is associated with parent and child attachment representations. In total, 140 parents (74 mothers and 66 fathers) and their children (age 5-6 years; 60 girls and 80 boys) engaged in cooperative versus individual problem-solving. INS in frontal and temporal regions was assessed with functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning. Attachment representations were ascertained by means of the Adult Attachment Interview in parents and a story-completion task in children, alongside video-coded behavioral synchrony. Findings revealed increased INS during cooperative versus individual problem solving across all dyads (𝛸2(2) = 9.37, p = 0.009). Remarkably, individual differences in attachment representations were associated with INS but not behavioral synchrony (p > 0.159) during cooperation. More specifically, insecure maternal attachment representations were related to higher mother-child INS in frontal regions (𝛸2(3) = 9.18, p = 0.027). Conversely, secure daughter attachment representations were related to higher daughter-parent INS within temporal regions (𝛸2(3) = 12.58, p = 0.006). Our data thus provide further indication for INS as a promising correlate to probe the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment representations in the context of early parent-child interactions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We assessed attachment representations using narrative measures and interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) during parent-child problem-solving. Dyads including mothers with insecure attachment representations showed higher INS in left prefrontal regions. Dyads including daughters with secure attachment representations showed higher INS in right temporo-parietal regions. INS is a promising correlate to probe the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment representations in the context of parent-child interactions, especially within the mutual prediction framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Neuroscience of Perception and Action Lab, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rome, Italy
| | - Melanie T Kungl
- Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lars O White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Clinical Psychology, Psychological University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pascal Vrtička
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
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Triana AM, Saramäki J, Glerean E, Hayward NMEA. Neuroscience meets behavior: A systematic literature review on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain combined with real-world digital phenotyping. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26620. [PMID: 38436603 PMCID: PMC10911114 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26620] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
A primary goal of neuroscience is to understand the relationship between the brain and behavior. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examines brain structure and function under controlled conditions, digital phenotyping via portable automatic devices (PAD) quantifies behavior in real-world settings. Combining these two technologies may bridge the gap between brain imaging, physiology, and real-time behavior, enhancing the generalizability of laboratory and clinical findings. However, the use of MRI and data from PADs outside the MRI scanner remains underexplored. Herein, we present a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis systematic literature review that identifies and analyzes the current state of research on the integration of brain MRI and PADs. PubMed and Scopus were automatically searched using keywords covering various MRI techniques and PADs. Abstracts were screened to only include articles that collected MRI brain data and PAD data outside the laboratory environment. Full-text screening was then conducted to ensure included articles combined quantitative data from MRI with data from PADs, yielding 94 selected papers for a total of N = 14,778 subjects. Results were reported as cross-frequency tables between brain imaging and behavior sampling methods and patterns were identified through network analysis. Furthermore, brain maps reported in the studies were synthesized according to the measurement modalities that were used. Results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating MRI and PADs across various study designs, patient and control populations, and age groups. The majority of published literature combines functional, T1-weighted, and diffusion weighted MRI with physical activity sensors, ecological momentary assessment via PADs, and sleep. The literature further highlights specific brain regions frequently correlated with distinct MRI-PAD combinations. These combinations enable in-depth studies on how physiology, brain function and behavior influence each other. Our review highlights the potential for constructing brain-behavior models that extend beyond the scanner and into real-world contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana María Triana
- Department of Computer Science, School of ScienceAalto UniversityEspooFinland
| | - Jari Saramäki
- Department of Computer Science, School of ScienceAalto UniversityEspooFinland
| | - Enrico Glerean
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, School of ScienceAalto UniversityEspooFinland
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Gemignani M, Giannotti M, Schmalz X, Rigo P, De Falco S. Attentional Prioritization of Infant Faces in Parents: The Influence of Parents' Experiences of Care. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:527. [PMID: 36612848 PMCID: PMC9819530 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Infant faces are prioritized by the attentional system in parents, resulting in a greater cognitive engagement in terms of response time. However, many biological, contextual and environmental factors relating to this cognitive mechanism have been left unexplored. To fill this gap, this study aims to (i) confirm that infant faces engage more attention compared to adult faces; (ii) investigate whether the attention to infant faces is affected early care experiences of parents; (iii) explore the effect of parents' sex by taking the amount of involvement with early childcare into consideration. 51 mothers and 46 fathers completed a modified Go/no-Go task, a brief sociodemographic questionnaire, the short version of the Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection scale, and an ad-hoc question relating to the amount of parental involvement with early childcare. Parents' response times were slowed in the presence of infant versus adult faces. Parents whose mother was perceived as more sensitively accepting were more engaged by infant cues. By considering the amount of early parental involvement, the sex of parents did not significantly interact with the type of face. These findings provide new insights on the attention process in response to infant cues in parents and suggest that the investigation of experience-based factors may shed further light on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micol Gemignani
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 84, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Michele Giannotti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 84, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Xenia Schmalz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Paola Rigo
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Simona De Falco
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 84, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
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Lotz AM, Buisman RSM, Alyousefi-van Dijk K, Witte AM, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Verhees MWFT. Exploring the role of endocrine factors in sensitive parenting in men. Horm Behav 2022; 140:105118. [PMID: 35121300 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Parental sensitivity has been studied extensively in parenting research. Recently, there has been increasing attention to endocrine factors that may be related to parental sensitivity, such as oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol. Although hormones do not act in isolation, few studies integrated multiple hormones and examined their combined associations with parental sensitivity. The current study aimed to explore the hormonal correlates of paternal sensitivity by examining in 79 first-time fathers of young infants (2-4 months old) (1) the separate and combined associations of basal oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol levels with sensitivity, and (2) the associations between paternal sensitivity and oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol reactivity following father-infant interactions. We additionally explored whether interactions between the various basal hormone levels could predict paternal sensitivity. Saliva for the quantification of fathers' hormone levels was sampled before and after an interaction with their infant to determine basal levels and reactivity. Results revealed no significant associations between sensitivity and basal hormone levels or reactivity. However, results indicated that cortisol and testosterone interacted in their effects on paternal sensitive parenting. Namely, fathers with low basal cortisol levels showed more sensitivity with increasing T levels, but fathers with high cortisol levels were less sensitive with increasing T levels. However, it should be noted that the latter slope was not significantly different from zero. These findings suggest that variations in parental sensitivity might be better explained by interactions between hormones than by single hormone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- A 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.
| | - R S M Buisman
- Forensic Family and Youth Care Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - K Alyousefi-van Dijk
- 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
| | - A M Witte
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- 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
| | - M W F T Verhees
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Giannotti M, Gemignani M, Rigo P, Simonelli A, Venuti P, De Falco S. Disentangling the Effect of Sex and Caregiving Role: The Investigation of Male Same-Sex Parents as an Opportunity to Learn More About the Neural Parental Caregiving Network. Front Psychol 2022; 13:842361. [PMID: 35237218 PMCID: PMC8884537 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Giannotti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- *Correspondence: Michele Giannotti
| | - Micol Gemignani
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Paola Rigo
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Alessandra Simonelli
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Paola Venuti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Simona De Falco
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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