The Functional Neuroanatomy of Maternal Love: Mother’s Response to Infant’s Attachment Behaviors
Abstract
Background Maternal love, which may be the core of maternal behavior, is essential for the mother-infant attachment relationship and is important for the infant's development and mental health. However, little has been known about these neural mechanisms in human mothers. We examined patterns of maternal brain activation in response to infant cues using video clips.Methods We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements while 13 mothers viewed video clips, with no sound, of their own infant and other infants of approximately 16 months of age who demonstrated two different attachment behaviors (smiling at the infant's mother and crying for her).Results We found that a limited number of the mother's brain areas were specifically involved in recognition of the mother's own infant, namely orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), periaqueductal gray, anterior insula, and dorsal and ventrolateral parts of putamen. Additionally, we found the strong and specific mother's brain response for the mother's own infant's distress. The differential neural activation pattern was found in the dorsal region of OFC, caudate nucleus, right inferior frontal gyrus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, thalamus, substantia nigra, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and PFC.Conclusions Our results showed the highly elaborate neural mechanism mediating maternal love and diverse and complex maternal behaviors for vigilant protectiveness.
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In several human fMRI studies, responses to own- versus other-baby stimuli of first-time mothers during the early postpartum period show increased brain activity in several regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), midbrain, striatum, cingulate, amygdala and insula.
“In several human fMRI studies, responses to own- versus other-baby stimuli of first-time mothers during this early postpartum period show increased brain activity in several regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), midbrain, striatum, cingulate, amygdala and insula (4,5,8,9,19,20).”
From Neuroendocrinology of Parental Response to Baby‐Cry (2011) · cites this paper as [19]
Orbitofrontal cortex responses to own-baby visual stimuli correlate with ratings of pleasant mood, excitement and love that mothers may experience when viewing the stimuli.
“Furthermore, orbitofrontal cortex responses to own-baby visual stimuli correlate with ratings of pleasant mood, excitement and love that mothers may experience when viewing the stimuli (19,58).”
From Neuroendocrinology of Parental Response to Baby‐Cry (2011) · cites this paper as [19]
Human mothers showed a greater activity of response in the midbrain, periaqueductal grey and striatum, OFC, medial prefrontal, anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula and precuneus to their own- versus other-baby pictures or videos.
“Indeed, human mothers showed a greater activity of response in the midbrain, periaqueductal grey and striatum, OFC, medial prefrontal, anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula and precuneus to their own- versus other-baby pictures (20,44) or videos (19,57).”
From Neuroendocrinology of Parental Response to Baby‐Cry (2011) · cites this paper as [19]
Activation of the medial and lateral PFC and ACC is consistently observed among new mothers in response to an infant's cry, to videos of a distressed infant, and to one's own child greater than to familiar/unknown faces.
“Activation of the medial and lateral PFC and ACC are consistently observed among new mothers in response to an infant’s cry (Laurent and Ablow, 2012; Lorberbaum et al., 2002), to videos of a distressed infant (Noriuchi et al., 2008), and to one’s own child greater than to familiar/unknown faces (Leibenluft et al., 2004) were observed among new mothers.”
From The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
Noriuchi et al. found strong specific differential responses to own-infant's distress in substantia nigra, caudate, thalamus, posterior/superior temporal sulcus, anterior cingulate, dorsal OFC, right inferior frontal gyrus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.
“Furthermore, they found strong and specific differential responses of mother’s brain to her own-infant’s distress in substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, thalamus, posterior and superior temporal sulcus, anterior cingulate, dorsal regions of OFC, right inferior frontal gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
Noriuchi et al. found correlations in OFC with own baby-response and happiness as well as to own distressed baby response in superior temporal regions.
“They also found correlations in OFC with own baby-response and happiness as well as to their own distressed baby response in the superior temporal regions.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
Noriuchi et al. (2008) confirmed increased activity associated with recognizing own baby pictures in cortical orbitofrontal, anterior insula, precuneus, periaqueductal gray, putamen.
“First, they confirmed the increased activity, associated with recognizing own baby pictures, in certain brain regions including cortical orbitofrontal, anterior insula and precuneus cortical areas as well as subcortical regions including the periaqueductal gray and putamen.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
Strong and specific differential responses of mother's brain to her own infant's distress were found in substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, thalamus, posterior and superior temporal sulcus, anterior cingulate, dorsal regions of OFC, right inferior frontal gyrus, and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (Noriuchi et al., 2008).
“Second, they found strong and specific differential responses of mother’s brain to her own-infant’s distress in substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, thalamus, posterior and superior temporal sulcus, anterior cingulate, dorsal regions of OFC, right inferior frontal gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
In a study using silent video clips of own vs other infants in play or separation, increased activation associated with own baby pictures was confirmed in cortical orbitofrontal, anterior insula, and precuneus areas, as well as subcortical regions including periaqueductal gray and putamen (Noriuchi et al., 2008).
“First, these authors confirmed increased activation associated with own baby pictures, in cortical orbitofrontal, anterior insula and precuneus areas, as well as subcortical regions including periaqueductal gray and putamen.”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
Correlations were found in OFC with own baby-response and happiness, as well as to own distressed baby response in superior temporal regions (Noriuchi et al., 2008).
“They also found correlations in OFC with own baby-response and happiness as well as to their own distressed baby response in superior temporal regions.”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Noriuchi et al., 2008
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- Authors
- Noriuchi, M., Kikuchi, Y., & Senoo, A.
- Affiliations
- Tokyo Metropolitan University (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Noriuchi, Madoka
- ORCID
- Senoo, Atsushi
- Venue
- Biological Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-02
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 415-423
- ISSN
- 0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2051071356
- Semantic Scholar
- bc5ff3e851f5b3a2b8bda923e3ed29f1056105c0
- Cited by
- 334
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 19.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Infant Health and Development
- Keywords
- maternal love, maternal attachment, infant distress, orbitofrontal cortex, periaqueductal gray, anterior insula, putamen, caudate nucleus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, substantia nigra, superior temporal sulcus, maternal behavior
- MeSH terms
- Arousal, Brain, Female, Humans, Infant, Love, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Nerve Net, Object Attachment, Prefrontal Cortex, Infant Behavior
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