Specifying the Neurobiological Basis of Human Attachment: Brain, Hormones, and Behavior in Synchronous and Intrusive Mothers
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The mother-infant bond provides the foundation for the infant's future mental health and adaptation and depends on the provision of species-typical maternal behaviors that are supported by neuroendocrine and motivation-affective neural systems. Animal research has demonstrated that natural variations in patterns of maternal care chart discrete profiles of maternal brain-behavior relationships that uniquely shape the infant's lifetime capacities for stress regulation and social affiliation. Such patterns of maternal care are mediated by the neuropeptide Oxytocin and by stress- and reward-related neural systems. Human studies have similarly shown that maternal synchrony--the coordination of maternal behavior with infant signals--and intrusiveness--the excessive expression of maternal behavior--describe distinct and stable maternal styles that bear long-term consequences for infant well-being. To integrate brain, hormones, and behavior in the study of maternal-infant bonding, we examined the fMRI responses of synchronous vs intrusive mothers to dynamic, ecologically valid infant videos and their correlations with plasma Oxytocin. In all, 23 mothers were videotaped at home interacting with their infants and plasma OT assayed. Sessions were micro-coded for synchrony and intrusiveness. Mothers were scanned while observing several own and standard infant-related vignettes. Synchronous mothers showed greater activations in the left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and intrusive mothers exhibited higher activations in the right amygdala. Functional connectivity analysis revealed that among synchronous mothers, left NAcc and right amygdala were functionally correlated with emotion modulation, theory-of-mind, and empathy networks. Among intrusive mothers, left NAcc and right amygdala were functionally correlated with pro-action areas. Sorting points into neighborhood (SPIN) analysis demonstrated that in the synchronous group, left NAcc and right amygdala activations showed clearer organization across time, whereas among intrusive mothers, activations of these nuclei exhibited greater cross-time disorganization. Correlations between Oxytocin with left NAcc and right amygdala activations were found only in the synchronous group. Well-adapted parenting appears to be underlay by reward-related motivational mechanisms, temporal organization, and affiliation hormones, whereas anxious parenting is likely mediated by stress-related mechanisms and greater neural disorganization. Assessing the integration of motivation and social networks into unified neural activity that reflects variations in patterns of parental care may prove useful for the study of optimal vs high-risk parenting.
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Both the early stages of romantic love and early parental love are characterized by typical behaviors, mental states, and activations of specific brain structures.
“Both the early stages of romantic love and early parental love are characterized by typical behaviors, mental states, and activations of specific brain structures (Atzil et al., 2011; Bartels and Zeki, 2004; Leckman et al., 1999; van Anders et al., 2011).”
From Oxytocin during the initial stages of romantic attachment: Relations to couples’ interactive reciprocity (2012) · cites this paper as Atzil et al., 2011
The Introduction describes characteristic maternal behaviors and brain regions involved in human parenting, while the Discussion links maternal behavior to mental processes and neural activation. This supports the early parental-love portion, but the paper does not discuss the behaviors, mental states, and brain activations of early romantic love; romantic love appears only in reference titles. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredGaze and affect are the main non-verbal channels of social communication.
“Gaze and affect, the main non-verbal channels of social communication, were coded using a set of mutually-exclusive codes consistent with our prior brain and behavioral research20,64.”
From Brain-to-Brain Synchrony during Naturalistic Social Interactions (2017) · cites this paper as [64]
The microlevel second-by-second coding scheme used was previously validated in the authors' lab and consistent with prior research showing correlations between these micro-level behaviors and brain activations.
“We used a microlevel second-by-second coding scheme previously validated in our lab and consistent with prior research that showed correlations between these micro-level behaviors and brain activations64.”
From Brain-to-Brain Synchrony during Naturalistic Social Interactions (2017) · cites this paper as [64]
Plasma OT is associated with bonding-related cognitions and increased activations in motivational-limbic brain areas in response to infant stimuli.
“plasma OT has been associated with bonding-related cognitions (11) and increased activations in motivational-limbic brain areas in response to infant stimuli (12).”
From Oxytocin administration to parent enhances infant physiological and behavioral readiness for social engagement (2012) · cites this paper as [12]
When intrusive and synchronous mothers were compared, intrusive mothers showed greater responses in the amygdala to their own babies, whereas synchronous mothers showed greater activation in the NAcc.
“When intrusive and synchronous mothers were compared, intrusive mothers showed greater responses in the amygdala to their own babies, whereas synchronous mothers showed greater activation in the NAcc.”
From The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Atzil et al., 2011
Maternal synchrony is positively correlated with maternal plasma OT level, while maternal intrusiveness is not (Atzil et al., 2011).
“Maternal synchrony (“episodes when mother and infant coordinate their positive social engagement”) is also reported to be positively correlated with maternal plasma OT level, while maternal intrusiveness (“inappropriate response from mother”) is not (Atzil et al., 2011).”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Atzil et al., 2011
Positive correlations were reported between plasma oxytocin and left NAcc and right amygdala in synchronous mothers and left insula, left intraparietal lobule, left and right temporal cortices, left sgACC, and left NAcc in mothers (Atzil et al., 2011).
“The role of oxytocin was also been examined in this group, with positive correlations reported between plasma oxytocin and the left NAcc and right amygdala in synchronous mothers and left insula, left intraparietal lobule, left and right temporal cortices, left sgACC, and left NAcc in mothers.”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Atzil et al., 2011
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- Authors
- Atzil, S., Hendler, T., & Feldman, R.
- Affiliations
- Bar-Ilan University (IL)
- Tel Aviv University (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Feldman, Ruth
- Venue
- Neuropsychopharmacology
- Published
- 2011-08-31
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 2603-2615
- ISSN
- 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
- 1740-634X
- PMC
- PMC3230500
- OpenAlex
- W2004120576
- Cited by
- 399
- References
- 90
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 27.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
- Israel Science Foundation (#1318/08)
- 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-infant bonding, maternal intrusiveness, oxytocin, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, functional connectivity, emotion regulation, theory of mind, empathy, reward processing, stress regulation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Oxytocin, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult
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