No abstract

As fathers are increasingly involved in childcare, understanding the neurological underpinnings of fathering has become a key research issue in developmental psychobiology research. This systematic review specifically focused on (1) highlighting methodological issues of paternal brain research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and (2) summarizing findings related to paternal brain responses to auditory and visual infant stimuli. Sixteen papers were included from 157 retrieved records. Sample characteristics (e.g., fathers’ and infant’s age, number of kids, and time spent caregiving), neuroimaging information (e.g., technique, task, stimuli, and processing), and main findings were synthesized by two independent authors. Most of the reviewed works used different stimuli and tasks to test fathers’ responses to child visual and/or auditory stimuli. Pre-processing and first-level analyses were performed with standard pipelines. Greater heterogeneity emerged in second-level analyses. Three main cortical networks (mentalization, embodied simulation, and emotion regulation) and a subcortical network emerged linked with fathers’ responses to infants’ stimuli, but additional areas (e.g., frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex) were also responsive to infants’ visual or auditory stimuli. This review suggests that a distributed and complex brain network may be involved in facilitating fathers’ sensitivity and responses to infant-related stimuli. Nonetheless, specific methodological caveats, the exploratory nature of large parts of the literature to date, and the presence of heterogeneous tasks and measures also demonstrate that systematic improvements in study designs are needed to further advance the field.

Background and aims: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic disorders associated with a reduced quality of life, and patients often also suffer from psychiatric comorbidities. Overall, both mood and cognitive disorders are prevalent in chronic organic diseases, especially in the case of a strong immune component, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. Divergent data regarding the true incidence and prevalence of mental disorders in patients with IBD are available. We aimed to review the current evidence on the topic and the burden of mental illness in IBD patients, the role of the brain–gut axis in their co-existence, and its implication in an integrated clinical management. Methods: PubMed was searched to identify relevant studies investigating the gut–brain interactions and the incidence and prevalence of psychiatric disorders, especially of depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction in the IBD population. Results: Among IBD patients, there is a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities, especially of anxiety and depression. Approximately 20–30% of IBD patients are affected by mood disorders and/or present with anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, it has been observed that the prevalence of mental illnesses increases in patients with active intestinal disease. Psychiatric comorbidities continue to be under-diagnosed in IBD patients and remain an unresolved issue in the management of these patients. Conclusions: Psychiatric illnesses co-occurring in IBD patients deserve acknowledgment from IBD specialists. These comorbidities highly impact the management of IBD patients and should be studied as an adjunctive therapeutic target.

No abstract

No abstract