A FUNCTIONAL MRI STUDY OF MOTHER-INFANT ATTACHMENT

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The mother-infant relationship has been characterized as one of the most crucial relationships affecting the health and development of the human species (Schore, 2001). When that relationship involves child abuse or neglect, it is associated with a diverse range of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring, including cognitive and academic delays (Strathearn et al, 2001), psychiatric illness, social impairment and delinquency (Dubowitz, 1999). However, in order to understand the neurobiology underlying child abuse and neglect, it is important to define the nature of normal attachment relationships. Recent functional MRI (fMRI) studies have demonstrated distinctive patterns of neuronal activation, in measuring maternal response to infant cries. Activated brain areas include the right medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, medial thalamus, cingulate cortex and other areas shown in animal models to be associated with maternal behavior (Lorberbaum et al., 1999, 2001). A similar pattern of activation has also been seen on viewing faces of infants (Nelson et al., preliminary data) and romantic partners (Bartels and Zeki, 2000), and with induced feelings of sadness relating to intimate relationships (Lane et al., 1997). These findings suggest that there may be a common neural substrate relating to social attachment and affiliation. Facial recognition and processing is thought to have a vital role in social communication, being imprinted during a critical phase of neural development in early infancy (Kanwisher, 2001). This study aims to more clearly define the brain areas activated by the emotional response of mothers to their infants' faces.