Maternal sensitivity, infant limbic structure volume and functional connectivity: a preliminary study.
Mechanisms underlying the profound parental effects on cognitive, emotional and social development in humans remain poorly understood. Studies with nonhuman models suggest variations in parental care affect the limbic system, influential to learning, autobiography and emotional regulation. In some research, nonoptimal care relates to decreases in neurogenesis, although other work suggests early-postnatal social adversity accelerates the maturation of limbic structures associated with emotional learning. We explored whether maternal sensitivity predicts human limbic system development and functional connectivity patterns in a small sample of human infants. When infants were 6 months of age, 20 mother-infant dyads attended a laboratory-based observational session and the infants underwent neuroimaging at the same age. After considering age at imaging, household income and postnatal maternal anxiety, regression analyses demonstrated significant indirect associations between maternal sensitivity and bilateral hippocampal volume at six months, with the majority of associations between sensitivity and the amygdala demonstrating similar indirect, but not significant results. Moreover, functional analyses revealed direct associations between maternal sensitivity and connectivity between the hippocampus and areas important for emotional regulation and socio-emotional functioning. Sensitivity additionally predicted indirect associations between limbic structures and regions related to autobiographical memory. Our volumetric results are consistent with research indicating accelerated limbic development in response to early social adversity, and in combination with our functional results, if replicated in a larger sample, may suggest that subtle, but important, variations in maternal care influence neuroanatomical trajectories important to future cognitive and emotional functioning.
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.
A
A
Rifkin-Graboi
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
L
L
Kong
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.
L W
LW
Sim
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.
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S
Sanmugam
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.|Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
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BF
Broekman
Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
H
H
Chen
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.
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E
Wong
Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
K
K
Kwek
Department of Epidemiology, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
S-M
SM
Saw
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.|Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
Y-S
YS
Chong
Human Development, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.|Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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PD
Gluckman
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
M V
MV
Fortier
Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
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D
Pederson
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.|Department of Neurosciences, Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.|Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
M J
MJ
Meaney
Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.|Department of Biomedical Engineering and Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Qiu
D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008032:Limbic System / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009929:Organ Size; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012846:Singapore