PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Cognitive Science

Brain imaging study suggests maternal sensitivity influences infants’ neural responses to affective touch

by Eric W. Dolan
August 14, 2021
in Cognitive Science

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A new study sheds light on how parental behaviors modulate infants’ processing of affective (soothing) touch. The research indicates that infants tend to have a greater brain response to touch when their mothers are less sensitive to their signals and needs. The findings have been published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

“Touch is essential to the establishment of affective bonds and to a person’s well-being,” said study author Ana Osório, an assistant professor at the Center for Biological and Health Sciences at Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Brazil.

“The interpersonal touch experience is particularly important in early childhood since it is the most fundamental form of parental care. However, the study of this sensory modality remains surprisingly neglected. We wanted to know whether the way mothers care for their infants — how warm and attentive they are to their child’s needs — impacts how infants’ brains process affective, gentle touch.”

The study included 24 infants and their mothers. When the infants were 7 months old, the mothers were instructed to play with them for 9 minutes. “We watched them interact with their infants and assessed maternal sensitivity — how well they acknowledged the infant’s needs and communications, interpreted them correctly and provided a contingent and appropriate response — for instance, holding the child when upset or afraid,” Osório said.

Primary somatosensory cortex highlighted in red. (Polygon data generated by Database Center for Life Science)

The infants underwent brain scans when they were 12 months old. To simulate affective touch, the infants were slowly stroked with a watercolor brush. “We looked at how their brains reacted to gentle touch using a technique called fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy). fNIRS uses near-infrared light to detect changes in brain tissue oxygenation,” Osório explained.

Osório and her colleagues found increased brain responses to affective touch in the somatosensory cortex among infants whose mothers were less sensitive.

“We found that when mothers were less sensitive, their infant’s brains actually showed stronger activation patterns in areas that process touch,” Osório told PsyPost. “It can be hypothesized that infants exposed to less sensitive maternal interactions – in which maternal touch might be absent, inconsistent, non-contingent and non-attuned to the infants’ cues and signals – may have perceived the light touch received during the fNIRS task as more novel, thus engaging in increased neural processing of the stimulus’ characteristics and meaning.”

But the study — like all research — includes some limitations.

“We did not have a measure of maternal touch, but a more general index of maternal sensitivity (which includes touch, but also other types of behaviors),” Osório explained. “Future research may explore the links between frequency, type and contingency of maternal touch during mother–infant interactions and infants’ brain responses to gentle touch to clarify how everyday touch experiences modulate brain responses to this sensory input.”

The study, “Maternal sensitivity and infant neural response to touch: an fNIRS study“, was authored by Vera Mateus, Ana Osório, Helga O Miguel, Sara Cruz, and Adriana Sampaio.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin2Send

Get all the latest updates on new psychology research with the free PsyPost app.
 


NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

New research identifies distinct masturbation–satisfaction patterns among women and men

Dark triad traits associated with psychological entitlement and knowledge hiding behavior

Vanity disrupts the link between physical attractiveness and greater perceived morality, study suggests

Neuroscience research suggests LSD might enhance learning and memory by promoting brain plasticity

Coffee drinking is largely unrelated to psychological well-being, according to new research

New psychology research reveals men’s motives for sending unsolicited dick pics

RECENT

New research identifies distinct masturbation–satisfaction patterns among women and men

Dark triad traits associated with psychological entitlement and knowledge hiding behavior

Vanity disrupts the link between physical attractiveness and greater perceived morality, study suggests

Countries with more stringent pandemic lockdowns had less mental illness-related Google searches

Attachment insecurities shape how individuals and their romantic partners feel during sex, study suggests

  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
Powered by

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

No Result
View All Result
  • About
    • Newsletter signup form
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • Contact
  • Contact us
  • My account
  • Privacy policy
  • Psychology news
  • PsyPost app privacy policy
  • Shop
  • SmartMag Home

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.