The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans.
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Early mother-infant relationships play important roles in infants' optimal development. New mothers undergo neurobiological changes that support developing mother-infant relationships regardless of great individual differences in those relationships. In this article, we review the neural plasticity in human mothers' brains based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. First, we review the neural circuits that are involved in establishing and maintaining mother-infant relationships. Second, we discuss early postpartum factors (e.g., birth and feeding methods, hormones, and parental sensitivity) that are associated with individual differences in maternal brain neuroplasticity. Third, we discuss abnormal changes in the maternal brain related to psychopathology (i.e., postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse) and potential brain remodeling associated with interventions. Last, we highlight potentially important future research directions to better understand normative changes in the maternal brain and risks for abnormal changes that may disrupt early mother-infant relationships.
Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO 80208-3500, United States. Electronic address: pilyoung.kim@du.edu.
Pilyoung
P
Kim
Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Center for Disabilities and Development, 100 Hawkins Drive 213F CDD, Iowa City, IA 52246-1011, United States. Electronic address: lanes@bcm.edu.
Lane
L
Strathearn
Department of Psychiatry, Psychology and Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2700, United States. Electronic address: jamesswa@med.umich.edu.
James E
JE
Swain
D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology*
Attachment; Brain imaging; Caregiving; Intervention; Maternal; Neural plasticity; Oxytocin; Parenting; Postpartum psychopathology; fMRI