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Chapter 12 - Neurobiology of Parenting and Implications for Emotion Regulation

from Part IV - Current Trends

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2024

By
Helena J. V. Rutherford
Edited by
Isabelle Roskam ,
James J. Gross  and
Moïra Mikolajczak
Isabelle Roskam
Affiliation:
Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
James J. Gross
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
Moïra Mikolajczak
Affiliation:
Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
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Summary

The transition to parenthood is a time of psychological and neurobiological reorganization thought to prepare parents for caregiving, including the unique demands of emotion regulation during infancy and early child development. This chapter reviews evidence that highlights changes in maternal brain structure, including data collected from preconception and across the postpartum period. Next, functional neuroimaging studies are described that have highlighted the importance of measuring reactivity to salient infant cues of emotion, specifically, infant facial expression and cries, to our understanding of the parental brain and emotion regulation. Finally, the emerging literature examining the neurobiology of parental emotion regulation is presented. Following this empirical review, limitations and future directions of the field are considered.

Keywords

parental brainmaternal brainfMRIEEG/ERPprocessing infant cuesemotion regulationtransition to parenthood
Type
Chapter
Information
Emotion Regulation and Parenting , pp. 229 - 243
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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