Neural plasticity in fathers of human infants

Abstract

Fathering plays an important role in infants’ socioemotional and cognitive development. Previous studies have identified brain regions that are important for parenting behavior in human mothers. However, the neural basis of parenting in human fathers is largely unexplored. In the current longitudinal study, we investigated structural changes in fathers’ brains during the first four months postpartum using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Biological fathers (n=16) with full-term, healthy infants were scanned at 2–4 weeks postpartum (Time 1) and at 12–16 weeks postpartum (Time 2). Fathers exhibited increases in gray matter volume in several neural regions involved in parental motivation, including the hypothalamus, amygdala and striatum and lateral prefrontal cortex. On the other hand, fathers exhibited decreases in gray matter volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and insula. The findings provide evidence for neural plasticity in fathers’ brains. We also discuss the distinct patterns of associations among neural changes, postpartum mood symptoms, and parenting behaviors among fathers.

Depression alters maternal extended amygdala response and functional connectivity during distress signals in attachment relationship

“…Secondly, we did not include mothers with severe depression, in which different mechanisms may operate. Thirdly, because this study did not include fathers, who are themselves the subject of a growing literature [56, 57], parent sex effects were not examined. Lastly, this study lacks more comprehensive psychiatry diagnostic tools, more detailed assessments of parental thoughts and behaviors and coded measurements of actual parent behavior and child outcomes [58] to determine transgenerational effects of maternal depression.…”

On Cuteness: Unlocking the Parental Brain and Beyond

“…There is a wealth of longitudinal, cross-cultural behavioural data on parenting [55, 59], but a dearth of neuroimaging data on longitudinal changes in the parental brain. Except from two recent studies which investigated structural changes in gray matter in parents at two timepoints post-partum [60, 61], all previous neuroimaging work has been cross-sectional studies of parents and non-parents [46, 57]. We are, however, in the process of carrying out the first longitudinal functional and structural neuroimaging study of the parental brain before conception, immediately after birth and 12 months later.…”

Reproductive justice and support for young fathers

“…On the continuum of mammalian paternal (vs. maternal) care, human paternal responsiveness is not likely to be biologically driven but to require socialization through nurturance experienced early in development and exposure in adulthood enhanced by cues from mates and infants (Kim et al., ; Storey & Walsh, ). Consistent with this idea, early experiences in father‐present versus father‐absent homes have been found to influence whether boys grow up to be paternally responsive and capable of committed relationships (Belsky, Steinberg, & Draper, ), and early exposure to children within the family yield biological and behavioral changes related to responsivity to subsequent infant cues (Delahunty, McKay, Noseworthy, & Storey, ).…”