Severity of anxiety moderates the association between neural circuits and maternal behaviors in the postpartum period.

ABSTRACT: Neuroimaging research has suggested that activity in the amygdala, center of the socioemotional network, and functional connectivity between the amygdala and cortical regions are associated with caregiving behaviors in postpartum mothers. Anxiety is common in the early postpartum period, with severity ranging from healthy maternal preoccupation to clinical disorder. However, little is known about the influence of anxiety on the neural correlates of early caregiving. We examined these relationships in a community cohort of 75 postpartum women (ages 18-22; predominantly low-SES, minority race) who listened to infant cry sounds while undergoing an fMRI assessment. Maternal self-reported symptoms of anxiety were mostly within the subclinical range. Positive and negative caregiving behaviors du

SUBMITTER: Guo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6546103 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature