Adverse caregiving in infancy blunts neural processing of the mother

Maya Opendak (), Emma Theisen, Anna Blomkvist, Kaitlin Hollis, Teresa Lind, Emma Sarro, Johan N. Lundström, Nim Tottenham, Mary Dozier, Donald A. Wilson and Regina M. Sullivan ()
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Maya Opendak: NYU Langone Health
Emma Theisen: Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
Anna Blomkvist: NYU Langone Health
Kaitlin Hollis: NYU Langone Health
Teresa Lind: University of Delaware
Emma Sarro: NYU Langone Health
Johan N. Lundström: Karolinska Institute
Nim Tottenham: Columbia University
Mary Dozier: University of Delaware
Donald A. Wilson: NYU Langone Health
Regina M. Sullivan: NYU Langone Health

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract The roots of psychopathology frequently take shape during infancy in the context of parent-infant interactions and adversity. Yet, neurobiological mechanisms linking these processes during infancy remain elusive. Here, using responses to attachment figures among infants who experienced adversity as a benchmark, we assessed rat pup cortical local field potentials (LFPs) and behaviors exposed to adversity in response to maternal rough and nurturing handling by examining its impact on pup separation-reunion with the mother. We show that during adversity, pup cortical LFP dynamic range decreased during nurturing maternal behaviors, but was minimally impacted by rough handling. During reunion, adversity-experiencing pups showed aberrant interactions with mother and blunted cortical LFP. Blocking pup stress hormone during either adversity or reunion restored typical behavior, LFP power, and cross-frequency coupling. This translational approach suggests adversity-rearing produces a stress-induced aberrant neurobehavioral processing of the mother, which can be used as an early biomarker of later-life pathology.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14801-3

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