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 re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hormones and behavior Vol. 77; pp. 113 - 123
Main Authors: Kim, Pilyoung, Strathearn, Lane, Swain, James E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2016
Elsevier BV
Subjects:
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Brain - physiology
Brain - physiopathology
Brain imaging
Caregiving
Female
fMRI
Hormones
Humans
Intervention
Maternal
Maternal Behavior - physiology
Mother-Child Relations
Mothers
Neural plasticity
Neurobiology
Neuronal Plasticity - physiology
Oxytocin
Parenting
Parents & parenting
Postpartum Period - physiology
Postpartum psychopathology
Parenting
Intervention
fMRI
Neural plasticity
Maternal
Brain imaging
Oxytocin
Postpartum psychopathology
Attachment
Caregiving
ISSN:0018-506X, 1095-6867, 1095-6867
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary: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. •Human maternal caregiving is governed by plastic brain networks.•The maternal brain networks integrate emotion and reward with cognitive control.•The human maternal brain adapts for mother–infant bonding.•The human maternal brain changes with psychopathology.•Parenting interventions may affect the plasticity of the human maternal brain.
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Equal contributions
ISSN:0018-506X
1095-6867
1095-6867
DOI:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.08.001