Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2012 Apr;37(5):1257-66. doi: 10.1038/npp.2011.313. Epub 2011 Dec 21.
Infant laughter is a rewarding experience. It activates neural reward circuits and promotes parental proximity and care, thus facilitating parent-infant attachment. The neuropeptide oxytocin might enhance the incentive salience of infant laughter by modulating neural circuits related to the perception of infant cues. In a randomized controlled trial with functional magnetic resonance imaging we investigated the influence of intranasally administered oxytocin on functional brain connectivity in response to infant laughter. Blood oxygenation level-dependent responses to infant laughter were measured in 22 nulliparous women who were administered oxytocin and 20 nulliparous women who were administered a placebo. Elevated oxytocin levels reduced activation in the amygdala during infant laughter and enhanced functional connectivity between the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate, the hippocampus, the precuneus, the supramarginal gyri, and the middle temporal gyrus. Increased functional connectivity between the amygdala and regions involved in emotion regulation may reduce negative emotional arousal while enhancing the incentive salience of the infant laughter.
婴儿的笑声是一种令人愉悦的体验。它激活了神经奖励回路，促进了父母的亲近和关怀，从而促进了亲子依恋。神经肽催产素可以通过调节与婴儿线索感知相关的神经回路，增强婴儿笑声的激励显著性。在一项使用功能磁共振成像的随机对照试验中，我们研究了鼻内给予催产素对婴儿笑声反应的功能性脑连接的影响。在接受催产素治疗的 22 名未生育的女性和接受安慰剂治疗的 20 名未生育的女性中，测量了对婴儿笑声的血氧水平依赖反应。在婴儿笑声期间，催产素水平升高会降低杏仁核的激活，并增强杏仁核与眶额皮质、前扣带皮质、海马体、楔前叶、缘上回和中颞回之间的功能连接。杏仁核与情绪调节相关区域之间增加的功能连接可能会降低负面情绪的唤醒，同时增强婴儿笑声的激励显著性。
