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Behavioral and genetic correlates of the neural response to infant crying among human fathers.

ABSTRACT: Although evolution has shaped human infant crying and the corresponding response from caregivers, there is marked variation in paternal involvement and caretaking behavior, highlighting the importance of understanding the neurobiology supporting optimal paternal responses to cries. We explored the neural response to infant cries in fathers of children aged 1-2, and its relationship with hormone levels, variation in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, parental attitudes and parental behavior. Although number of AR CAG trinucleotide repeats was positively correlated with neural activity in brain regions important for empathy (anterior insula and inferior frontal gyrus), restrictive attitudes were inversely correlated with neural activity in these regions and with regions involved with emotion regulation (orbitofrontal cortex). Anterior insula activity had a non-linear relationship with paternal caregiving, such that fathers with intermediate activation were most involved. These results suggest that restrictive attitudes may be associated with decreased empathy and emotion regulation in response to a child in distress, and that moderate anterior insula activity reflects an optimal level of arousal that supports engaged fathering.

SUBMITTER: Mascaro JS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4221211 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Behavioral and genetic correlates of the neural response to infant crying among human fathers.

Mascaro Jennifer S JS Hackett Patrick D PD Gouzoules Harold H Lori Adriana A Rilling James K JK

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 20131212 11

Although evolution has shaped human infant crying and the corresponding response from caregivers, there is marked variation in paternal involvement and caretaking behavior, highlighting the importance of understanding the neurobiology supporting optimal paternal responses to cries. We explored the neural response to infant cries in fathers of children aged 1-2, and its relationship with hormone levels, variation in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, parental attitudes and parental behavior. Althou ...[more]

PMID: 24336349

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Project description:BackgroundFrequent infant crying is associated with parental exhaustion, depression, or even infant hospitalization and shaken baby syndrome. Effective prompt soothing methods are lacking for infants under 6 months. We examined whether swaddling, sound, and movement evoked an immediate calming response (CR) when parents soothed their infants and using a smart crib, and whether infant age affected the CR.MethodsInfants' CR was assessed in a community sample of 69 infants (0-6 months) in a counterbalanced experiment with two conditions (parent, smart crib) each composed of three two-minute phases (baseline, supine, soothing). During baseline 1, parent and infant were sitting together; in supine 1, fussiness was elicited by putting the infant suddenly supine, followed by parental soothing (shushing and jiggling of the swaddled infant). Baseline 2, supine 2, and soothing by the crib followed. Fussiness was observed and infant heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded. The CR was operationalized as decreased fussiness and HR, and increased HRV during soothing compared to lying supine.ResultsInfant fussiness and HR were lower in both soothing phases compared to the supine phases. Infant HRV tended to be higher during parental soothing than during supine, but did not significantly differ between mechanical soothing and supine. Younger infants responded with a stronger CR (decreased fussiness and increased HRV) to parental soothing, but not to mechanical soothing. For HR, infants' CR was stronger in the crib than in the parent condition, whereas for HRV, infants' CR was stronger in the parent condition. For fussiness, infants' CR tended to be stronger in the parent condition.ConclusionParental and mechanical soothing using swaddling, sound, and movement promptly induced a CR in infants. This has important clinical implications for soothing fussy and crying infants. Future studies should investigate the effects of parental versus mechanical soothing in the home setting.

Dataset Information

Behavioral and genetic correlates of the neural response to infant crying among human fathers.

Publications

Behavioral and genetic correlates of the neural response to infant crying among human fathers.

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