Paternina-Die María, Martínez-García Magdalena, Pretus Clara, Hoekzema Elseline, Barba-Müller Erika, Martín de Blas Daniel, Pozzobon Cristina, Ballesteros Agustín, Vilarroya Óscar, Desco Manuel, Carmona Susanna
Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, 28007 Madrid, Spain.
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), 28029 Madrid, Spain.
Cereb Cortex Commun. 2020 Nov 4;1(1):tgaa082. doi: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa082. eCollection 2020.
The transition into fatherhood is a life-changing event that requires substantial psychological adaptations. In families that include a father figure, sensitive paternal behavior has been shown to positively impact the infant's development. Yet, studies exploring the neuroanatomic adaptations of men in their transition into fatherhood are scarce. The present study used surface-based methods to reanalyze a previously published prospective magnetic resonance imaging dataset comprised of 20 first-time fathers (preconception-to-postpartum) and 17 childless men. We tested if the transition into fatherhood entailed changes in cortical volume, thickness, and area and whether these changes were related to 2 indicators of paternal experience. Specifically, we tested if such changes were associated with (1) the baby's age and/or (2) the fathers' brain activity in response to pictures of their babies compared with an unknown baby. Results indicated that first-time fathers exhibited a significant reduction in cortical volume and thickness of the precuneus. Moreover, higher volume reduction and cortical thinning were associated with stronger brain responses to pictures of their own baby in parental brain regions. This is the first study showing preconception-to-postpartum neuroanatomical adaptations in first-time fathers associated with the father's brain response to cues of his infant.
成为父亲是一件改变人生的大事，需要进行重大的心理调适。在有父亲角色的家庭中，敏感的父亲行为已被证明对婴儿的发育有积极影响。然而，探索男性在成为父亲过程中的神经解剖学调适的研究却很稀少。本研究使用基于表面的方法，重新分析了一个先前发表的前瞻性磁共振成像数据集，该数据集由20名初为人父者（孕前至产后）和17名无子女男性组成。我们测试了成为父亲的转变是否会导致皮质体积、厚度和面积的变化，以及这些变化是否与父亲经历的两个指标相关。具体来说，我们测试了这些变化是否与（1）婴儿的年龄和/或（2）与陌生婴儿相比，父亲看到自己孩子照片时的大脑活动有关。结果表明，初为人父者的楔前叶皮质体积和厚度显著减少。此外，更大的体积减少和皮质变薄与父母大脑区域对自己孩子照片的更强大脑反应相关。这是第一项显示初为人父者从孕前到产后的神经解剖学调适与父亲对其婴儿线索的大脑反应相关的研究。
