An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play
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This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12-42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers' may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation.
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PTSD symptoms were inversely correlated with superior frontal gyrus activity and positively associated with caudate activity.
“PTSD symptoms were inversely correlated with superior frontal gyrus activity and positively associated with caudate activity.”
From The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Schechter et al., 2012
The described circuitry in women with IPV-PTSD compared to healthy mothers included heightened activity in bilateral anterior entorhinal cortex, left caudate, left insula, and reduced frontocortical activity in superior frontal gyrus and bilateral superior parietal lobes.
“The circuitry described included heightened activity in emotion regulation and empathy regions -- bilateral anterior entorhinal cortex, left caudate, left insula, and reduced frontocortical activity (superior frontal gyrus and bilateral superior parietal lobes) in women with IPV-PTSD compared to healthy mothers.”
From The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Schechter et al., 2012
12-48 months postpartum mothers with PTSD secondary to adult interpersonal violence-related PTSD had heightened subcortical responses in the fear circuitry.
“Similar to non-postpartum populations, but in contrast to anxious and depressed postpartum mothers,12–48 months postpartum mothers with PTSD secondary to adult interpersonal violence-related PTSD (IPV-PTSD) had heightened subcortical responses in the fear circuitry (Schechter et al., 2012).”
From The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Schechter et al., 2012
In mothers viewing child separation versus free play videos, IPV-PTSD mothers activated an unrestrained fear-circuitry that was associated with higher subjective ratings of stress.
“In this study of mothers viewing child separation vs. free play videos, IPV-PTSD mothers activated an “unrestrained” fear-circuitry that was associated with higher subjective ratings of stress.”
From The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Schechter et al., 2012
IPV-PTSD mothers vs healthy mothers reported greater stress to viewing separation vignettes; greater limbic and reduced fronto-cortical activity was observed in IPV-PTSD mothers relative to healthy mothers in separation vs play conditions, with reports of stress linking to neural findings (Schechter et al., 2012).
“IPV–PTSD mothers vs. healthy mothers (11 vs. 9) reported greater stress to viewing separation vignettes, greater limbic and reduced fronto-cortical activity was observed in IPV–PTSD mothers relative to healthy mothers in separation vs. play conditions, with reports of stress to viewing separation linking to the neural findings.”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Schechter et al., 2012
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- Authors
- Schechter, D. S., Moser, D. A., Wang, Z., Marsh, R., Hao, X., Duan, Y., Yu, S., Gunter, B., Murphy, D., McCaw, J., Kangarlu, A., Willheim, E., Myers, M. M., Hofer, M. A., & Peterson, B. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Geneva (CH)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2011-10-22
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 969-979
- ISSN
- 1749-5016 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-5024
- PMC
- PMC3501701
- OpenAlex
- W2099367655
- Cited by
- 84
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8
- FWCI
- 5.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- International Psychoanalytical Association
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Université de Genève
- Gertrude von Meissner-Stiftung
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH068405)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA017820)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- mothers, toddlers, maternal separation, maternal stress, limbic system, caregiver behavior
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Child, Preschool, Divorce, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Infant, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Mother-Child Relations, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Play and Playthings, Residence Characteristics, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Young Adult
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