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Mothers' neural activation in response to pictures of their children and other children

Leibenluft, Ellen, Gobbini, M.Ida, Harrison, Tara, Haxby, James V.·2004·Biological Psychiatry
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.05.017
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Abstract

Background Considerable literature has focused on neural responses evoked by face viewing. We extend that literature and explore the neural correlates of maternal attachment with an fMRI study in which mothers view photographs of their own children.Method Seven mothers performed a one-back repetition detection task while viewing photographs of their own child, friends of their child, unfamiliar children, and unfamiliar adults.Results Viewing one's own child versus a familiar child was associated with activation in the amygdala, insula, anterior paracingulate cortex, and posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS). Viewing familiar versus unfamiliar children elicited increased activation in regions associated with familiarity in adults. Viewing unfamiliar children versus unfamiliar adults was associated with activation in the fusiform gyrus, intraparietal sulcus, precuneus, and posterior STS.Conclusions The sight of one's own child versus that of a familiar child activates regions that mediate emotional responses (amygdala, insula) and are associated with theory of mind functions (anterior paracingulate cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus). These activations may reflect the intense attachment, vigilant protectiveness, and empathy that characterize normal maternal attachment. The sight of an unfamiliar child's face compared with that of an unfamiliar adult engages areas associated with attention as well as face perception.

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  • The amygdala is strongly activated in some studies but deactivated in another.

    “The amygdala, for example, is strongly activated in some studies (20;23), but deactivated in another (22).”

    From What’s in a smile? Maternal brain responses to infant facial cues (2008) · cites this paper as [23]

  • The striatum is activated in response to face images of a mother's own child compared to unknown (or familiar but unrelated) children, as well as to infant cry stimuli.

    “Several studies have shown that the striatum, a key projection of midbrain dopamine neurons which includes the putamen and caudate head, is activated in response to face images of a mother’s own child compared to unknown (or familiar but unrelated) children (22;23), as well as to infant cry stimuli (18).”

    From What’s in a smile? Maternal brain responses to infant facial cues (2008) · cites this paper as [23]

  • fMRI paradigms have shown recruitment of the amygdala, ventral striatum, VTA/substantia nigra as well as areas within the frontal cortex and insula in response to mothers seeing photographs of their own children versus other peoples children.

    “Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigms have shown recruitment of the amygdala, ventral striatum, VTA/substantia nigra as well as areas within the frontal cortex and insula in response to mothers seeing photographs of their own children versus other peoples children (Bartels and Zeki, 2004, Leibenluft et al., 2004, Strathearn et al., 2009, Strathearn et al., 2008, but see Wittfoth-S”

    From Oxytocin, motivation and the role of dopamine (2014) · cites this paper as Leibenluft et al., 2004

  • In mothers viewing own versus other children's faces (5-12 years), anterior paracingulate, posterior cingulate and superior temporal sulcus were significantly activated.

    “Some social cognition regions that were not activated in the Bartels and Zeki (2004b) study were significantly activated in this study, including the anterior paracingulate, posterior cingulate and the superior temporal sulcus which are important for empathy (Saxe, 2006a).”

    From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Leibenluft et al., 2004

  • Some social cognition regions important for empathy were significantly activated in a paradigm using photographs of older own vs other children (5-12 years), including anterior paracingulate, posterior cingulate, and superior temporal sulcus (Leibenluft et al., 2004; Saxe, 2006).

    “Some social cognition regions which are important for empathy were significantly activated in this paradigm, including anterior paracingulate, posterior cingulate and superior temporal sulcus (Saxe, 2006).”

    From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Leibenluft et al., 2004

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Authors
Leibenluft, E., Gobbini, M. I., Harrison, T., & Haxby, J. V.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Leibenluft, Ellen
ORCID
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2004-08
Volume
56
Issue
4
Pages
225-232
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.05.017
OpenAlex
W1970508041
Cited by
493
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 28
FWCI
7.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
  • Institutional Research Information System (Università degli Studi di Trento) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
maternal attachment, mothers, face perception, face familiarity, amygdala, insula, posterior superior temporal sulcus, theory of mind, fusiform gyrus, intraparietal sulcus, precuneus
MeSH terms
Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain, Brain Mapping, Child, Child, Preschool, Face, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Visual Perception, Recognition, Psychology

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