Neural correlates of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal regulation of mothers with their infants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Neural correlates of stress regulation via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have been identified, but little is known about how these apply to real-world interpersonal stress contexts such as mother-infant interaction. We extended stress regulation research by examining maternal neural activation to infant cry related to HPA regulation with their infants.

Methods

Twenty-two primiparous mothers listened to the cry sounds of their own 18-month-old infant and an unfamiliar infant and a control sound during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Salivary cortisol was collected at four timepoints in a separate session involving the Strange Situation stressor. Cortisol trajectories were modeled with hierarchical linear modeling, and trajectory term

SUBMITTER: Laurent HK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3655534 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature