A specific and rapid neural signature for parental instinct
Open accessAbstract
Darwin originally pointed out that there is something about infants which prompts adults to respond to and care for them, in order to increase individual fitness, i.e. reproductive success, via increased survivorship of one's own offspring. Lorenz proposed that it is the specific structure of the infant face that serves to elicit these parental responses, but the biological basis for this remains elusive. Here, we investigated whether adults show specific brain responses to unfamiliar infant faces compared to adult faces, where the infant and adult faces had been carefully matched across the two groups for emotional valence and arousal, as well as size and luminosity. The faces also matched closely in terms of attractiveness. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in adults, we found that highly specific brain activity occurred within a seventh of a second in response to unfamiliar infant faces but not to adult faces. This activity occurred in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), an area implicated in reward behaviour, suggesting for the first time a neural basis for this vital evolutionary process. We found a peak in activity first in mOFC and then in the right fusiform face area (FFA). In mOFC the first significant peak (p<0.001) in differences in power between infant and adult faces was found at around 130 ms in the 10-15 Hz band. These early differences were not found in the FFA. In contrast, differences in power were found later, at around 165 ms, in a different band (20-25 Hz) in the right FFA, suggesting a feedback effect from mOFC. These findings provide evidence in humans of a potential brain basis for the "innate releasing mechanisms" described by Lorenz for affection and nurturing of young infants. This has potentially important clinical applications in relation to postnatal depression, and could provide opportunities for early identification of families at risk.
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Coordinated responses in drive (amygdala) and regulation (cingulate) figure prominently in papers using baby face stimuli.
“Again, coordinated responses in drive (amygdala) and regulation (cinglulate) figure prominently in these papers.”
From The human parental brain: In vivo neuroimaging (2011) · cites this paper as Kringelbach et al., 2008
Evidence supports human preference for exaggerated cute/infantile features of baby faces, which appear to activate reward mechanisms within the caregiver and motivate/promote mothers to caregiving, bonding, and attachment.
“Not only is facial recognition of one’s infant and their emotional state critical to their survival, but evidence supports human preference for the exaggerated cute/infantile features of baby faces which appear to activate reward mechanisms within the caregiver and motivate/promote mothers to caregiving, bonding and attachment.”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Kringelbach et al., 2008
Nucleus accumbens is activated in response to baby schema (Glocker et al., 2009); medial orbitofrontal cortex responds to infant faces relative to adults (Kringelbach et al., 2008); higher levels of infantile features are preferred (Parsons et al., 2011).
“In addition to activation of nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in response to baby schema (Glocker et al., 2009) and medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) response to infant faces relative to adults (Kringelbach et al., 2008), higher levels of infantile features are preferred (Parsons 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 Kringelbach et al., 2008
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Oxytocin promotes face-sensitive neural responses to infant and adult faces in mothers
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- Authors
- Kringelbach, M. L., Lehtonen, A., Squire, S., Harvey, A. G., Craske, M. G., Holliday, I. E., Green, A. L., Aziz, T. Z., Hansen, P. C., Cornelissen, P. L., & Stein, A.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University (DK)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Aston University (GB)
- John Radcliffe Hospital (GB)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of York (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Kringelbach, Morten L.
- ORCID
- Venue
- PLoS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2008-02-27
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- e1664
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2244707
- OpenAlex
- W2123848474
- Cited by
- 262
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 6.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (acceptedVersion)
- Aston Publications Explorer (Aston University) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (017571, 071571)
- Lord Dowding Fund
- TrygFonden
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Keywords
- infant face perception, face processing, medial orbitofrontal cortex, fusiform face area, Lorenz, infant care, reward processing, postpartum depression, magnetoencephalography
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain Mapping, Face, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Magnetoencephalography, Parenting
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