Cited by 262Face Recognition and PerceptionEvolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 48 of the 48 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A Specific and Rapid Neural Signature for Parental Instinct

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Abstract

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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Metadata

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.
Venue
PLoS ONE
Published
2008-02-27
Volume
3
Issue
2
Pages
e1664
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
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
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
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › 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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