Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2010 Sep;35(8):1133-41. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.01.013. Epub 2010 Feb 12.
Animal studies have demonstrated that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) plays a critical role in processes of parent-infant bonding through mechanisms of early parental care, particularly maternal grooming and contact. Yet, the involvement of OT in human parenting remains poorly understood, no data are available on the role of OT in the development of human fathering, and the links between patterns of parental care and the OT response have not been explored in humans. One hundred and twelve mothers and fathers engaged in a 15-min play-and-contact interaction with their 4-6-month-old infants and interactions were micro-coded for patterns of parental touch. Results showed that baseline levels of plasma and salivary OT in mothers and fathers were similar, OT levels in plasma and saliva were inter-related, and OT was associated with the parent-specific mode of tactile contact. Human mothers who provided high levels of affectionate contact showed an OT increase following mother-infant interaction but such increase was not observed among mothers displaying low levels of affectionate contact. Among fathers, only those exhibiting high levels of stimulatory contact showed an OT increase. These results demonstrate consistency in the neuroendocrine basis of human parental interactions with those seen in other mammals. The findings underscore the need to provide opportunities for paternal care to trigger the biological basis of fatherhood and suggest that interventions that permit social engagement may be recommended in conditions of diminished maternal-infant contact, such as prematurity or postpartum depression.
动物研究表明，神经肽催产素（OT）通过早期父母照顾的机制，特别是母亲的梳理和接触，在父母与婴儿的联系中起着关键作用。然而，OT 在人类养育中的作用仍知之甚少，关于 OT 在人类父亲养育发展中的作用尚没有数据，并且父母照顾模式与 OT 反应之间的联系在人类中也没有被探索过。112 位母亲和父亲与他们 4-6 个月大的婴儿进行了 15 分钟的玩耍和接触互动，互动的模式被微编码为父母的触摸模式。结果表明，母亲和父亲的血浆和唾液 OT 基础水平相似，血浆和唾液中的 OT 水平相互关联，OT 与父母特定的触觉接触模式有关。提供高情感接触的人类母亲在母婴互动后表现出 OT 增加，但在表现出低情感接触的母亲中没有观察到这种增加。在父亲中，只有表现出高刺激接触的父亲表现出 OT 增加。这些结果表明，人类父母互动的神经内分泌基础与其他哺乳动物相似。这些发现强调了需要提供父亲照顾的机会来触发父性的生物学基础，并表明允许社会参与的干预措施可能在母婴接触减少的情况下被推荐，例如早产或产后抑郁症。
