Exploring the hormonal and neural correlates of paternal protective behavior to their infants

Lotz, Anna M.; Verhees, Martine W. F. T.; Horstman, Lisa I; Riem, Madelon M E; IJzendoorn, Marinus H. van; Bakermans‐Kranenburg, Marian J.; Buisman, Renate S. M.

doi:10.1002/dev.22055

Cited by 11 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In one correlational study AVP was associated with fathers' stimulatory interaction with their infants [ 17 ]. In another study AVP was unrelated to fathers' neural or behavioural responses to infant threatening situations [ 18 ]. However, administration of AVP affected neural and behavioural responses of expectant fathers to sounds of crying infants [ 19 , 20 ], pointing to a role for AVP in responding to infant distress, one of the key requirements for sensitive caregiving.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is paternal oxytocin an oxymoron? Oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, oestradiol and cortisol in emerging fatherhood

Bakermans‐Kranenburg

Verhees

Lotz

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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How do hormonal levels in men change from pregnancy to after the birth of their firstborn child, and what is the role of oxytocin, alone or in interplay with other hormones, in explaining variance in their parenting quality? We explored in 73 first-time fathers the development of five hormones that have been suggested to play a role in parenting: oxytocin (OT), vasopressin (AVP), testosterone (T), oestradiol (E2) and cortisol (Cort). In an extended group of fathers ( N = 152) we examined associations with fathers’ behaviour with their 2-month-old infants. OT and E2 showed stability from the prenatal to the postnatal assessments, whereas AVP and T decreased significantly, and Cort decreased marginally. OT on its own or in interplay with other hormones was not related to paternal sensitivity. Using an exploratory approach, the interaction between T and E2 emerged as relevant for fathers’ sensitive parenting. Among fathers with high E2, high T was associated with lower sensitivity. Although we did not find evidence for the importance of OT as stand-alone hormone or in interplay with other hormones in this important phase in men's lives, the interaction between T and E2 in explaining variation in paternal behaviour is a promising hypothesis for further research. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours’.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is paternal oxytocin an oxymoron? Oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, oestradiol and cortisol in emerging fatherhood

Bakermans‐Kranenburg

Verhees

Lotz

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Identifying potential threats for the child’s safety has been found to trigger brain activity in the amygdala in expectant fathers ( Van’t Veer et al. , 2019 ) and new fathers ( Lotz et al. , 2020 ) when they were exposed to infant-threatening videos.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fathers’ involvement in early childcare is associated with amygdala resting-state connectivity

Horstman

Riem

Dijk

et al. 2021

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

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Becoming a parent requires new skills and frequent task switching during daily child-care. Little is known about the paternal brain during the transition to fatherhood. The present study examined intrinsic neuronal network connectivity in a group of first-time expectant and new fathers (total N = 131) using amygdala seed-based resting-state functional connectivity analysis (rsFC). Furthermore, we examined the association between paternal involvement (i.e. hours spent in childcare and real-time push notifications on smartphone) and connectivity within the parental brain network in new fathers. There were no significant differences in functional connectivity between expectant and new fathers. However, results show that in new fathers, time spent in childcare was positively related to amygdala connectivity with the supramarginal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and the superior parietal lobule, all regions within the cognition/mentalizing network that have been associated with empathy and social cognition. Our results suggest that fathers’ time investment in childcare is related to connectivity networks in the parental brain.

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“…Although the neurobiological base of parental protection is still largely unexplored territory, two previous studies reported activation of the amygdala and the salience network among expectant and first‐time fathers while viewing videos of infant‐threatening (vs. neutral) videos 3,4 . Additionally, activation in the visual cortex and in regions previously characterized as part of the parental care network, including the superior frontal gyrus and precentral gyrus, was observed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Given this evolutionary importance, it is likely that specific neural systems have evolved to anticipate and respond to potential threats to infant's safety. Indeed, previous studies exploring the neural base of paternal protection indicate that observing infant‐threatening situations elicits activation in the salience network, 3,4 including the insula and anterior cingulate gyrus, and the amygdala, a region important for fear and threat‐processing 5 . However, similar to other dimensions of caregiving, parents may vary in their degree of protection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental protection in fathers with negative caregiving experiences: Heightened amygdala reactivity to infant threatening situations

Riem

Witte

Lotz

et al. 2023

J Neuroendocrinology

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Parental protection is an important, yet understudied, aspect of parenting behavior. Predictors of the quality of protection and potential underlying neural mechanisms are still unknown. In this study, we examined whether negative caregiving experiences in fathers’ own childhood are related to protective behavior and neural reactivity to infant threatening situations. Paternal protective behavior was measured with self‐ and partner‐reported protective behavior and behavioral observations in an experimental set‐up (auditory startling task) in 121 first‐time fathers (mean age child = 19.35 weeks, SD = 11.27). Neural activation during exposure to videos of infant‐threatening (vs. neutral) situations was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We found a significant and positive association between negative caregiving experiences and amygdala reactivity to infant‐threatening situations. A history of negative caregiving experiences was not significantly related to reported or observed paternal protective behavior. Our findings suggest that fathers with negative caregiving experiences show emotional hyperreactivity to cues of infant threat.

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Exploring the hormonal and neural correlates of paternal protective behavior to their infants

Cited by 11 publications

References 55 publications

Is paternal oxytocin an oxymoron? Oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, oestradiol and cortisol in emerging fatherhood

Is paternal oxytocin an oxymoron? Oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, oestradiol and cortisol in emerging fatherhood

Fathers’ involvement in early childcare is associated with amygdala resting-state connectivity

Parental protection in fathers with negative caregiving experiences: Heightened amygdala reactivity to infant threatening situations

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