Baby Crying Induces Different Cortical Activation in Mothers with Secure and Insecure Attachment

Abstract

SYNOPSIS Objective. To characterize electroencephalographic activity (EEG) in mothers with secure (SA) and insecure attachment (IA) while viewing a video of a baby crying (CR). Design. EEGs were recorded in the prefrontal and parietal cortices (related to the processing of relevant stimuli) in first-time, IA (n = 8) and SA (n = 8), mothers while watching and listening to CR. Results. During CR, compared to IA, SA showed a lower absolute power (AP) of the alpha2 and beta1 bands in frontal areas, higher AP of the gamma and delta bands in parietal areas, and higher prefronto-parietal correlation in the fast frequencies. Conclusions. These EEG differences could be related to the greater attention and emotional regulation that SA show in the presence of a baby crying.