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Nature Apr 2018Parenting is essential for the survival and wellbeing of mammalian offspring. However, we lack a circuit-level understanding of how distinct components of this behaviour...
Parenting is essential for the survival and wellbeing of mammalian offspring. However, we lack a circuit-level understanding of how distinct components of this behaviour are coordinated. Here we investigate how galanin-expressing neurons in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus coordinate motor, motivational, hormonal and social aspects of parenting in mice. These neurons integrate inputs from a large number of brain areas and the activation of these inputs depends on the animal's sex and reproductive state. Subsets of MPOA neurons form discrete pools that are defined by their projection sites. While the MPOA population is active during all episodes of parental behaviour, individual pools are tuned to characteristic aspects of parenting. Optogenetic manipulation of MPOA projections mirrors this specificity, affecting discrete parenting components. This functional organization, reminiscent of the control of motor sequences by pools of spinal cord neurons, provides a new model for how discrete elements of a social behaviour are generated at the circuit level.
Topics: Animals; Female; Galanin; Hormones; Logic; Male; Maternal Behavior; Mice; Motivation; Neural Pathways; Neurons; Optogenetics; Parenting; Paternal Behavior; Preoptic Area; Reproduction; Sex Characteristics; Social Behavior
PubMed: 29643503
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0027-0 -
Current Biology : CB Sep 2015Wahab et al. introduce the marmosets, a group of peculiar New World monkeys.
Wahab et al. introduce the marmosets, a group of peculiar New World monkeys.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Biological Evolution; Callitrichinae; Chimera; Feeding Behavior; Paternal Behavior; Reproduction; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 26394094
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.042 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jul 2018People vary in the degree to which they experience disgust toward-and, consequently, avoid-cues to pathogens. Prodigious work has measured this variation and observed... (Review)
Review
People vary in the degree to which they experience disgust toward-and, consequently, avoid-cues to pathogens. Prodigious work has measured this variation and observed that it relates to, among other things, personality, psychopathological tendencies, and moral and political sentiments. Less work has sought to generate hypotheses aimed at explaining why this variation exists in the first place, and even less work has evaluated how well data support these hypotheses. In this paper, we present and review the evidence supporting three such proposals. First, researchers have suggested that variability reflects a general tendency to experience anxiety or emotional distress. Second, researchers have suggested that variability arises from parental modelling, with offspring calibrating their pathogen avoidance based on their parents' reactions to pathogen cues. Third, researchers have suggested that individuals calibrate their disgust sensitivity to the parasite stress of the ecology in which they develop. We conclude that none of these hypotheses is supported by existing data, and we propose directions for future research aimed at better understanding this variation.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours'.
Topics: Anxiety; Cues; Disgust; Host-Parasite Interactions; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Maternal Behavior; Paternal Behavior
PubMed: 29866917
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0204 -
Psychiatria Polska Dec 2020For many years there has been a debate among psychiatrists as to whether and how the patient's gender modifies the psychopathological picture of depression. Despite many... (Review)
Review
For many years there has been a debate among psychiatrists as to whether and how the patient's gender modifies the psychopathological picture of depression. Despite many years of research on trigger mechanisms, clinical features and the consequences of perinatal depression in women, one can still get the impression that too little is known about this mental disorder in the perinatal period in women. As for men, there are only few reports showing the consequences of paternal depression for the physical and emotional development of a newborn child. The article describes several cases of male patients who struggled with symptoms of depression in the perinatal period of their partners. In all stories one can find a cause-and-effect relationship between the episode of depression and the perinatal period. In spite of similar life circumstances and traits characteristic of depression in men, many differences in the course of the illness were also observed. Each of the patients required pharmacological treatment. Depending on the clinical and life situation, parallel psychotherapy was recommended, and in one case 24-hour hospitalization. In one of the men, an important trigger factor was the episode of postpartum depression in the partner. In the depressive state, all three men had to temporarily give up their care role in relation to their partner and then the child. Applied comprehensive treatment in all three fathers brought symptomatic and functional remission. Good mental health translated into a good adaptation to care for a little child and satisfaction as a father. The article presents perinatal depression in fathers as a real clinical problem that requires further in-depth research.
Topics: Adult; Depression; Father-Child Relations; Fathers; Humans; Male; Mental Health; Paternal Behavior; Peripartum Period
PubMed: 33740800
DOI: 10.12740/PP/110610 -
Attachment & Human Development Feb 2020This study examined the longitudinal associations between fathers' observed parenting behaviors and father-infant attachment ( = 58 father-infant dyads). Fathers were...
This study examined the longitudinal associations between fathers' observed parenting behaviors and father-infant attachment ( = 58 father-infant dyads). Fathers were observed playing with their infants at 9 months postpartum and were assessed for stimulating behaviors (i.e. physical and/or object stimulation), as well as their sensitivity and intrusiveness. When the infants were 12 to 18 months of age, fathers and infants participated together in the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to assess father-infant attachment security. Logistic regression analyses revealed that higher levels of paternal stimulation at 9 months postpartum were associated with greater odds of classification as a secure father-infant dyad. Additionally, fathers' observed intrusiveness at 9 months postpartum moderated this association; greater paternal stimulation was associated with significantly greater odds of father-infant attachment security at low and average levels of paternal intrusiveness, but not at high levels of paternal intrusiveness. This study provides new insight into the paternal behaviors that may foster secure father-infant attachment.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Behavior; Child Development; Father-Child Relations; Fathers; Female; Humans; Infant; Logistic Models; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Object Attachment; Parenting; Young Adult
PubMed: 30873899
DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2019.1589057 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Apr 2022Fathers have an important and unique influence on child development, but influences on fathers' parenting have been vastly understudied in the scientific literature. In... (Review)
Review
Fathers have an important and unique influence on child development, but influences on fathers' parenting have been vastly understudied in the scientific literature. In particular, very little empirical research exists on the effects of early life adversity (ELA; e.g. childhood maltreatment, parental separation) on later parenting among fathers. In this review, we draw from both the human and non-human animal literature to examine the effects of ELA, specifically among males, in the following areas: 1) neurobiology and neurocognitive functioning, 2) hormones and hormone receptors, 3) gene-environment interactions and epigenetics, and 4) behavior and development. Based on these findings, we present a conceptual model to describe the biological and behavioral pathways through which exposure to ELA may influence parenting among males, with a goal of guiding future research and intervention development in this area. Empirical studies are needed to improve understanding of the relationship between ELA and father's parenting, inform the development of paternal and biparental interventions, and prevent intergenerational transmission of ELA.
Topics: Adverse Childhood Experiences; Biology; Fathers; Humans; Male; Parenting; Parents
PubMed: 35063493
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104531 -
American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 2017Father's mental health is an emerging area of interest that is beginning to be recognized in research, and to a lesser extent in clinical practice and society. Fathers... (Review)
Review
Father's mental health is an emerging area of interest that is beginning to be recognized in research, and to a lesser extent in clinical practice and society. Fathers are part of a parenting dyad with 2 partners who are responsible for their children's emotional development. Similar to mothers, the risk for mental health problems increases once a male becomes a father, but there is limited research examining this issue. The purpose of this review is to present the available literature on father's mental health and its effect on child emotional health through various mechanisms. In general, father's mental health was found to be related to increased child internalizing and externalizing behaviors, but each disorder had different risk factors, and a unique effect on parenting behaviors and the child's emotional health. The most developed paternal mental health literature is focused on depression. However, key conceptual and methodological problems exist that may limit our understanding of paternal depression. Additionally, the focus on paternal depression may not accurately represent the largest risk for paternal psychopathology and the resultant child mental health outcomes because men have an increased likelihood of displaying externalizing behaviors. Implications for research, clinical practice, and policy are discussed.
PubMed: 30202331
DOI: 10.1177/1559827616629895 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2022Bonding is crucial to perinatal mental health. Despite an extensive body of literature on maternal bonding, few studies have focused on paternal bonding. This scoping... (Review)
Review
Bonding is crucial to perinatal mental health. Despite an extensive body of literature on maternal bonding, few studies have focused on paternal bonding. This scoping review aimed to clarify the current state of the concept of paternal-infant/fetus bonding. The eligibility criteria were drawn from the population concept and context elements to answer the following questions: "what is paternal bonding?" and "what are the constructs of the concept of paternal bonding?" The review comprised 39 studies. Paternal bonding was associated with both positive and negative paternal behavior and thought and may be determined based on fathers' beliefs and rearing history. Most studies showed that father-child interaction is one of the factors promoting paternal bonding. However, fathers generally felt more distant from their babies post-delivery than mothers. Only a few studies originally defined paternal bonding; most relied on the definitions of maternal bonding. We found different descriptions lacking consensus. Few studies examined the differences between paternal and maternal bonding. No consensus exists on the concept, constructs, and assessment of paternal bonding. The causal relationship between paternal bonding and other variables is unexplored. Future studies should explore fathers' perspectives and experiences, focusing on the unknown aspects of paternal bonding identified in this review.
PubMed: 36421589
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10112265 -
Neuropsychopharmacology Reports Sep 2022Previous studies reported that advanced paternal age (APA) may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. However, effects of APA on behaviors...
AIM
Previous studies reported that advanced paternal age (APA) may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. However, effects of APA on behaviors have not been investigated in offspring of the same paternal mice. The present study sought to identify behavioral differences in mouse offspring of the same fathers at different paternal ages.
METHODS
We assessed locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and social behavior in male mouse offspring that were born from the same fathers at three different paternal ages (3, 12, and 15 months old).
RESULTS
No differences in locomotor activity or anxiety-like behavior were observed among any of the offspring groups. In the three-chamber test, although the control group (3-month-old paternal age) exhibited significantly higher approach behavior toward the novel mouse compared with the novel object, the APA groups (12- and 15-month-old paternal ages) did not exhibit significant approach toward the novel mouse.
CONCLUSION
Offspring of 3-month-old fathers but not 12- or 15-month-old APA fathers exhibited social preference behavior. Although the present study was only exploratory, it demonstrated an interaction between social behavior and paternal age in offspring of the same paternal mice.
Topics: Animals; Anxiety; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Fathers; Humans; Male; Mice; Paternal Age; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35587235
DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12258 -
Hormones and Behavior Jan 2016This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Paternal care, though rare among mammals, is routinely displayed by several species of rodents. Here we review... (Review)
Review
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Paternal care, though rare among mammals, is routinely displayed by several species of rodents. Here we review the neuroanatomical and hormonal bases of paternal behavior, as well as the behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of paternal behavior for offspring. Fathering behavior is subserved by many of the same neural substrates which are also involved in maternal behavior (for example, the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus). While gonadal hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, as well as hypothalamic neuropeptides such as oxytocin and vasopressin, and the pituitary hormone prolactin, are implicated in the activation of paternal behavior, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of their actions, as well as pronounced differences between species. Removal of the father in biparental species has long-lasting effects on behavior, as well as on these same neuroendocrine systems, in offspring. Finally, individual differences in paternal behavior can have similarly long-lasting, if more subtle, effects on offspring behavior. Future studies should examine similar outcome measures in multiple species, including both biparental species and closely related uniparental species. Careful phylogenetic analyses of the neuroendocrine systems presumably important to male parenting, as well as their patterns of gene expression, will also be important in establishing the next generation of hypotheses regarding the regulation of male parenting behavior.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Fathers; Male; Oxytocin; Paternal Behavior; Phylogeny; Prolactin; Rodentia; Testosterone; Vasopressins
PubMed: 26122293
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.021