Sofia I. Cárdenas , Yael Waizman , Van Truong , Pia Sellery , Sarah A. Stoycos , Fang-Cheng Yeh , Vidya Rajagopalan , Darby E. Saxbe
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The transition to parenthood remains an understudied window of potential neuroplasticity in the adult brain. White matter microstructural (WMM) organization, which reflects structural connectivity in the brain, has shown plasticity across the lifespan. No studies have examined how WMM organization changes from the prenatal to postpartum period in men becoming fathers. This study investigates WMM organization in men transitioning to first-time fatherhood. We performed diffusion-weighted imaging to identify differences in WMM organization, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA). We also investigated whether FA changes were associated with fathers’ postpartum mental health. Associations between mental health and WMM organization have not been rarely examined in parents, who may be vulnerable to mental health problems. Fathers exhibited reduced FA at the whole-brain level, especially in the cingulum, a tract associated with emotional regulation. Fathers also displayed reduced FA in the corpus callosum, especially in the forceps minor, which is implicated in cognitive functioning. Postpartum depressive symptoms were linked with increases and decreases in FA, but FA was not correlated with perceived or parenting stress. Findings provide novel insight into fathers’ WMM organization during the transition to parenthood and suggest postpartum depression may be linked with fathers’ neuroplasticity during the transition to parenthood.
为人父母的过渡期仍然是成人大脑潜在神经可塑性的一个研究不足的窗口期。白质微结构(WMM)组织反映了大脑中的结构连接性,在整个生命周期中都表现出可塑性。目前还没有研究探讨过,从产前到产后,成为父亲的男性的白质微结构组织是如何变化的。本研究调查了初为人父的男性的WMM组织。我们进行了扩散加权成像,以确定以分数各向异性(FA)为指标的WMM组织的差异。我们还研究了FA变化是否与父亲的产后心理健康有关。心理健康和WMM组织之间的关系在父母身上还很少被研究,因为他们可能很容易出现心理健康问题。父亲在全脑水平上表现出FA减少,尤其是在与情绪调节相关的扣带回。父亲在胼胝体,尤其是与认知功能有关的小镊子中也显示出减少的FA。产后抑郁症状与 FA 的增减有关,但 FA 与感知压力或养育压力无关。研究结果为父亲在为人父母过程中的WMM组织提供了新的见解,并表明产后抑郁可能与父亲在为人父母过程中的神经可塑性有关。
期刊介绍:
The journal publishes theoretical and research papers on cognitive brain development, from infancy through childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. It covers neurocognitive development and neurocognitive processing in both typical and atypical development, including social and affective aspects. Appropriate methodologies for the journal include, but are not limited to, functional neuroimaging (fMRI and MEG), electrophysiology (EEG and ERP), NIRS and transcranial magnetic stimulation, as well as other basic neuroscience approaches using cellular and animal models that directly address cognitive brain development, patient studies, case studies, post-mortem studies and pharmacological studies.