Marie Collison, Class of ‘25

Individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment (CM) in their past have a greater risk of exhibiting behaviors of maltreatment towards their own children. As such, it is important to understand how mothers may respond to their infant cues in context with their past experiences, especially during the often tumultuous postpartum (after-birth) period. Prior research has established that brain responses in areas associated with emotion regulation, attachment, and sensitivity (including the anterior cingulate cortex) increase within 48 hours immediately post-birth and throughout the first postpartum year.
A 2024 study led by Margaret Bublitz investigated changes in the brain functioning of mothers in response to negative cues from infants. Measurements were taken from two groups of new mothers: those with a history of CM and those without a history of CM. Using the infant faces task, brain activity in response to the various expressions was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans at 5 and 13 weeks postpartum. The women were exposed to one image at a time of either their own infant or a randomized infant. Furthermore, the order of expressions was randomized and all images were standardized using a black-and-white filter.
The results indicated a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the 5-week scans. The women with CM histories displayed a greater activation in the anterior cingulate cortex in response to infant distress than women without a history of CM. In addition, they observed that those with CM histories had decreasing activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) over time, indicating an inability to regulate reactivity to negative stimuli. In contrast, women without CM histories exhibited increasing ACC activation. Interestingly, the researchers found that mothers with a history of CM only exhibited decreasing ACC activation when they observed the “other” infants in distress and not with exposure to images of their own infant.
This study had several contextual limitations, namely a small sample size and an irregular system of determining infant temperament. However, the results of this study propose a possible link between the neurobiological consequences of exposure to toxic stress during childhood and the ability of a mother to respond to infant distress. More research is warranted to investigate how women with histories of childhood maltreatment may benefit from early interventions to support their transition into motherhood.

Citation:
Bublitz, M. H., Swain, J. E., Lustig, S., Barthélémy, C., Kreimer, R., & Dickstein, D. P. (2022).
Maternal history of childhood maltreatment and brain responses to infant cues across the postpartum period. Child Maltreatment, 29(1), 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595221128952

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