Academic Journal

The maternal brain is more flexible and responsive at rest: effective connectivity of the parental caregiving network in postpartum mothers

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: The maternal brain is more flexible and responsive at rest: effective connectivity of the parental caregiving network in postpartum mothers
المؤلفون: Edwina R. Orchard, Katharina Voigt, Sidhant Chopra, Tribikram Thapa, Phillip G. D. Ward, Gary F. Egan, Sharna D. Jamadar
المصدر: Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2023)
بيانات النشر: Nature Portfolio, 2023.
سنة النشر: 2023
المجموعة: LCC:Medicine
LCC:Science
مصطلحات موضوعية: Medicine, Science
الوصف: Abstract The field of neuroscience has largely overlooked the impact of motherhood on brain function outside the context of responses to infant stimuli. Here, we apply spectral dynamic causal modelling (spDCM) to resting-state fMRI data to investigate differences in brain function between a group of 40 first-time mothers at 1-year postpartum and 39 age- and education-matched women who have never been pregnant. Using spDCM, we investigate the directionality (top–down vs. bottom–up) and valence (inhibition vs excitation) of functional connections between six key left hemisphere brain regions implicated in motherhood: the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens. We show a selective modulation of inhibitory pathways related to differences between (1) mothers and non-mothers, (2) the interactions between group and cognitive performance and (3) group and social cognition, and (4) differences related to maternal caregiving behaviour. Across analyses, we show consistent disinhibition between cognitive and affective regions suggesting more efficient, flexible, and responsive behaviour, subserving cognitive performance, social cognition, and maternal caregiving. Together our results support the interpretation of these key regions as constituting a parental caregiving network. The nucleus accumbens and the parahippocampal gyrus emerging as ‘hub’ regions of this network, highlighting the global importance of the affective limbic network for maternal caregiving, social cognition, and cognitive performance in the postpartum period.
نوع الوثيقة: article
وصف الملف: electronic resource
اللغة: English
تدمد: 2045-2322
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31696-4
URL الوصول: https://doaj.org/article/5268b4ceb2a245d78e975dfa8bb2c339
رقم الانضمام: edsdoj.5268b4ceb2a245d78e975dfa8bb2c339
قاعدة البيانات: Directory of Open Access Journals
الوصف
تدمد:20452322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-31696-4