A FUNCTIONAL MRI STUDY OF MOTHER-INFANT ATTACHMENT

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。母婴关系被认为是影响人类健康和发展的最重要的关系之一（Schore， 2001年）。当这种关系涉及儿童虐待或忽视时，它与后代的各种不良神经发育结果有关，包括认知和学习迟缓（Strathearn et al ., 2001），精神疾病，社会障碍和犯罪（Dubowitz, 1999）。然而，为了理解儿童虐待和忽视背后的神经生物学，定义正常依恋关系的本质是很重要的。最近的功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）研究表明，在测量母亲对婴儿哭声的反应时，神经元激活的独特模式。在动物模型中，被激活的大脑区域包括右侧内侧前额叶和眶额皮质、丘脑内侧、扣带皮层和其他与母性行为相关的区域（Lorberbaum et al., 1999,2001）。在观察婴儿（Nelson et al.，初步数据）和浪漫伴侣（Bartels and Zeki, 2000）以及与亲密关系相关的诱发悲伤情绪（Lane et al., 1997）时，也发现了类似的激活模式。这些发现表明，可能存在一个与社会依恋和隶属关系相关的共同神经基质。面部识别和处理被认为在社会沟通中起着至关重要的作用，在婴儿期早期神经发育的关键阶段被印记（Kanwisher, 2001）。这项研究的目的是更清楚地定义母亲对婴儿面孔的情绪反应所激活的大脑区域。

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.