An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play

Daniel S. Schechter; Dominik A. Moser; Zhishun Wang; Rachel Marsh; Xue Jun Hao; Yunsuo Duan; Shan Yu; Benjamin Gunter; David Murphy; Jaime McCaw; Alayar Kangarlu; Erica Willheim; Michael M. Myers; Myron A. Hofer; Bradley S. Peterson

doi:10.1093/scan/nsr069

An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play

Daniel S. Schechter, Dominik A. Moser, Zhishun Wang, Rachel Marsh, Xue Jun Hao, Yunsuo Duan, Shan Yu, Benjamin Gunter, David Murphy, Jaime McCaw, Alayar Kangarlu, Erica Willheim, Michael M. Myers, Myron A. Hofer, Bradley S. Peterson

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66 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12-42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers' may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation.

Original language	English
Article number	nsr069
Pages (from-to)	969-979
Number of pages	11
Journal	Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Volume	7
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr069
State	Published - Nov 2012
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Corticolimbic pathways
Early childhood
Emotion regulation
Functional neuroimaging
Interpersonal violence
Maternal PTSD

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10.1093/scan/nsr069

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Schechter, D. S., Moser, D. A., Wang, Z., Marsh, R., Hao, X. J., Duan, Y., Yu, S., Gunter, B., Murphy, D., McCaw, J., Kangarlu, A., Willheim, E., Myers, M. M., Hofer, M. A., & Peterson, B. S. (2012). An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 7(8), 969-979. Article nsr069. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr069

@article{df268d15875f4f019dfd3fc48bfd98d9,

title = "An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play",

abstract = "This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12-42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers' may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation.",

keywords = "Corticolimbic pathways, Early childhood, Emotion regulation, Functional neuroimaging, Interpersonal violence, Maternal PTSD",

author = "Schechter, {Daniel S.} and Moser, {Dominik A.} and Zhishun Wang and Rachel Marsh and Hao, {Xue Jun} and Yunsuo Duan and Shan Yu and Benjamin Gunter and David Murphy and Jaime McCaw and Alayar Kangarlu and Erica Willheim and Myers, {Michael M.} and Hofer, {Myron A.} and Peterson, {Bradley S.}",

year = "2012",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1093/scan/nsr069",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

pages = "969--979",

journal = "Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience",

issn = "1749-5016",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

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Schechter, DS, Moser, DA, Wang, Z, Marsh, R, Hao, XJ, Duan, Y, Yu, S, Gunter, B, Murphy, D, McCaw, J, Kangarlu, A, Willheim, E, Myers, MM, Hofer, MA & Peterson, BS 2012, 'An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play', Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, vol. 7, no. 8, nsr069, pp. 969-979. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr069

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T1 - An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play

AU - Schechter, Daniel S.

AU - Moser, Dominik A.

AU - Wang, Zhishun

AU - Marsh, Rachel

AU - Hao, Xue Jun

AU - Duan, Yunsuo

AU - Yu, Shan

AU - Gunter, Benjamin

AU - Murphy, David

AU - McCaw, Jaime

AU - Kangarlu, Alayar

AU - Willheim, Erica

AU - Myers, Michael M.

AU - Hofer, Myron A.

AU - Peterson, Bradley S.

PY - 2012/11

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N2 - This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12-42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers' may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation.

AB - This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12-42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers' may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation.

KW - Corticolimbic pathways

KW - Early childhood

KW - Emotion regulation

KW - Functional neuroimaging

KW - Interpersonal violence

KW - Maternal PTSD

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U2 - 10.1093/scan/nsr069

DO - 10.1093/scan/nsr069

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AN - SCOPUS:84870164506

SN - 1749-5016

VL - 7

SP - 969

EP - 979

JO - Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

JF - Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

IS - 8

M1 - nsr069

ER -

An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play

Abstract

Keywords

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