Attachment Figure's Regulation of Infant Brain and Behavior

Associação entre vínculo parental e qualidade da vinculação amorosa em universitários no sul do Brasil

A partir das primeiras experiências de vinculação, serão internalizados modelos representacionais que servirão de protótipo para as relações amorosas no futuro. Este estudo investigou a associação entre a percepção de vínculo parental e a qualidade da vinculação amorosa em universitários no sul do Brasil. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, no qual foram utilizados o Questionário de Vinculação ao Pai e à Mãe e o Questionário de Vinculação Amorosa. A análise estatística foi baseada no modelo de Regressão Linear Múltipla. Foram avaliados 89 universitários. A cada aumento de um ponto no escore da inibição da exploração e da individualidade no vínculo materno, houve uma diminuição no escore da confiança e um aumento no escore da ambivalência no vínculo amoroso. Os resultados demonstram que dificuldades no estabelecimento de um vínculo precoce saudável podem ocasionar sentimento de insegurança, ambivalência e baixa confiança nos relacionamentos amorosos futuros.

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

The complex process of regulating physiological functions and homeostasis during external and internal disruptions develops slowly in altricial species, with parental care functioning as a co-regulator of infant physiological and emotional homeostasis. Here, we review our current understanding of the infant's use of parental behaviors for neurobehavioral regulation and its disruption with harsh parental care. Taking a cross-species view, we briefly review the human developmental literature that highlights the importance of the caregiver in scaffolding the child's physiological and emotional regulation, especially under threat and stress. We then use emerging corresponding animal literature within the phylogenetically preserved attachment system to help define neural systems supporting caregiver regulation and its supporting causal mechanism to provide translational bridges to inform causation and mechanisms impossible to define in children. Next, we briefly review animal research highlighting the impact of specific sensory stimuli imbedded in parental care as important for infant physiological and emotion regulation. We then highlight the importance of parental sensory stimuli gaining hedonic value to go beyond simple sensory stimuli to further impact neurobehavioral regulation, with poor quality of care compromising the infant's ability to use these cues for regulation. Clinically, parental regulation of the infant is correlated with later-life neurobehavioral outcome and quality of life. We suggest an understanding of this parental regulation of the infant's immediate neurobehavioral functioning within the context of attachment quality, that may provide insights into the complex processes during early life, initiating the pathway to pathology.

The effects of neonatal procedural pain and maternal isolation on hippocampal cell proliferation and reelin concentration in neonatal and adult male and female rats

Preterm births accounted for over 10% of all U.S. live births in 2019 and the rate is rising. Neonatal stressors, especially procedural pain, experienced by preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have been associated with neurodevelopmental impairments. Parental care can alleviate stress during stressful or painful procedures; however, infants in the NICU often receive reduced parental care compared with their peers. Animal studies suggest that decreased maternal care similarly impairs neurodevelopment but also influences the effects of neonatal pain. It is important to mimic both stressors in animal models of neonatal stress exposure. In this study, researchers investigated the individual and combined impact of neonatal pain and maternal isolation on reelin protein levels and cellular proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of 8 days old and adult rats. Exposure to either stressor individually, but not both, increased reelin levels in the dentate gyrus of adult females without significantly altering reelin levels in adult males. However, cell proliferation levels at either age were unaffected by the early-life stressors. These results suggest that each early-life stressor has a unique effect on markers of brain development and more research is needed to further investigate their distinct influences.

Late Adolescents' Attachment to Parents and Peers and Psychological Distress Resulting from COVID-19. A Study on the Mediation Role of Alexithymia

The scientific literature has shown the key role played by attachment to parents and peers and difficulties in recognizing, processing, and regulating emotions (i.e., alexithymia) in the (mal-)adaptive psychological response to the COVID-19 pandemic during late adolescence. No study has yet explored the complex interplay between these variables. We recruited a sample of 454 late adolescents (Mage = 22.79, SD = 2.27) and assessed attachment to parents and peers, alexithymia, and peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19 through self-report instruments. Attachment to fathers and peers, but not to mothers, and alexithymia significantly predicted levels of peritraumatic distress. Alexithymia fully and partially mediated the effect of, respectively, attachment to mothers and attachment to peers on peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19. These findings suggested that intervention programs focused on the promotion of peer social relationships, supportive parent-adolescent relationships, and the ability to recognize and discriminate one's own and others' emotions are needed in helping late adolescents to face the current health emergency and preventing short- and long-term psychopathological consequences related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of Early Life Stress on the Developing Basolateral Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortex Circuit: The Emerging Role of Local Inhibition and Perineuronal Nets

The links between early life stress (ELS) and the emergence of psychopathology such as increased anxiety and depression are now well established, although the specific neurobiological and developmental mechanisms that translate ELS into poor health outcomes are still unclear. The consequences of ELS are complex because they depend on the form and severity of early stress, duration, and age of exposure as well as co-occurrence with other forms of physical or psychological trauma. The long term effects of ELS on the corticolimbic circuit underlying emotional and social behavior are particularly salient because ELS occurs during critical developmental periods in the establishment of this circuit, its local balance of inhibition:excitation and its connections with other neuronal pathways. Using examples drawn from the human and rodent literature, we review some of the consequences of ELS on the development of the corticolimbic circuit and how it might impact fear regulation in a sex- and hemispheric-dependent manner in both humans and rodents. We explore the effects of ELS on local inhibitory neurons and the formation of perineuronal nets (PNNs) that terminate critical periods of plasticity and promote the formation of stable local networks. Overall, the bulk of ELS studies report transient and/or long lasting alterations in both glutamatergic circuits and local inhibitory interneurons (INs) and their associated PNNs. Since the activity of INs plays a key role in the maturation of cortical regions and the formation of local field potentials, alterations in these INs triggered by ELS might critically participate in the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood, including impaired fear extinction and anxiety behavior.

Exclusive Breastfeeding Is Not Associated with Maternal-Infant Bonding in Early Postpartum, Considering Depression, Anxiety, and Parity

It is important to clarify how the breastfeeding method affects women’s mental health, and how women’s mental health affects the breastfeeding method in the early postpartum period when major depression and other psychiatric problems are most likely to occur. This study aimed to examine this bidirectional relationship in the early postpartum period. Participants were 2020 postpartum women who completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS). We obtained data for participants’ breastfeeding method for four weeks after childbirth. We performed a path analysis with factors including breastfeeding method (exclusive breastfeeding or non-exclusive breastfeeding), parity (primipara or multipara), the two HADS subscales (anxiety and depression), and the two MIBS subscales (lack of affection and anger and rejection). The path analysis showed that breastfeeding method did not significantly affect depression, anxiety, and maternal–infant bonding in the early postpartum period. Women with higher anxiety tended to use both formula-feeding and breastfeeding. Our study suggests that exclusive breastfeeding is not associated with maternal-fetal bonding in early postpartum, considering depression, anxiety, and parity.

A breastfeeding support program changed breastfeeding patterns but did not affect the mothers' self-efficacy in breastfeeding at two months

BACKGROUND

Even though the biological norm in humans is frequent on demand breastfeeding, sparse feeding intervals have become the cultural norm in most Western countries due to a history of on schedule breastfeeding. This discrepancy between the biological basis and the culturally driven practice continues to interfere with women's ability to breastfeed.

AIM

Our aim was to describe breastfeeding patterns in 2-month-old infants before and after the implementation of a breastfeeding support program. A secondary aim was to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding patterns and the mother's self-efficacy in breastfeeding.

METHODS

The study had a baseline/intervention design and was part of a larger project aiming to revive the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding program. The larger project included breastfeeding training for health care professionals and provision of breastfeeding information to parents, including information about on demand breastfeeding. Data were gathered via breastfeeding diaries (n = 79 mothers from each group) and the Breastfeeding Self-efficacy Scale-Short Form (n = 83 in the baseline group and n = 79 in the intervention group).

RESULTS

On demand breastfeeding patterns were more common in the intervention group (97.5%) than in the baseline group (74.7%) (p < 0.001), and breastfeeding sessions were more frequent in the intervention group (a median of 14 times per 24 h versus 11 times in the baseline group; p = 0.026). Self-efficacy in breastfeeding did not differ between the groups, but was higher in mothers with exclusive breastfeeding.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge about infants' breastfeeding behavior can strengthen on demand breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with higher self-efficacy.