Father-infant interactions and infant regional brain volumes: A cross-sectional MRI study

Vaheshta Sethna; Jasmine Siew; Inês Pote; Siying Wang; Maria Gudbrandsen; Charlotte Lee; Emily Perry; Kerrie P H Adams; Clare Watson; Johanna Kangas; Vladimira Stoencheva; Eileen Daly; Maria Kuklisova-Murgasova; Steven C R Williams; Michael C Craig; Declan G M Murphy; Grainne M McAlonan

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100721

Father-infant interactions and infant regional brain volumes: A cross-sectional MRI study

Vaheshta Sethna, Jasmine Siew, Inês Pote, Siying Wang, Maria Gudbrandsen, Charlotte Lee, Emily Perry, Kerrie P H Adams, Clare Watson, Johanna Kangas, Vladimira Stoencheva, Eileen Daly, Maria Kuklisova-Murgasova, Steven C R Williams, Michael C Craig, Declan G M Murphy, Grainne M McAlonan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Fathers play a crucial role in their children's socio-emotional and cognitive development. A plausible intermediate phenotype underlying this association is father's impact on infant brain. However, research on the association between paternal caregiving and child brain biology is scarce, particularly during infancy. Thus, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the relationship between observed father-infant interactions, specifically paternal sensitivity, and regional brain volumes in a community sample of 3-to-6-month-old infants (N = 28). We controlled for maternal sensitivity and examined the moderating role of infant communication on this relationship. T2-weighted MR images were acquired from infants during natural sleep. Higher levels of paternal sensitivity were associated with smaller cerebellar volumes in infants with high communication levels. In contrast, paternal sensitivity was not associated with subcortical grey matter volumes in the whole sample, and this was similar in infants with both high and low communication levels. This preliminary study provides the first evidence for an association between father-child interactions and variation in infant brain anatomy.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	100721
Journal	Developmental cognitive neuroscience
Volume	40
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100721
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2019

Keywords

Adult
Brain/physiopathology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Father-Child Relations
Fathers
Female
Humans
Infant
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods
Male

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10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100721

Cite this

Sethna, V., Siew, J., Pote, I., Wang, S., Gudbrandsen, M., Lee, C., Perry, E., Adams, K. P. H., Watson, C., Kangas, J., Stoencheva, V., Daly, E., Kuklisova-Murgasova, M., Williams, S. C. R., Craig, M. C., Murphy, D. G. M., & McAlonan, G. M. (2019). Father-infant interactions and infant regional brain volumes: A cross-sectional MRI study. Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 40, 100721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100721

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abstract = "Fathers play a crucial role in their children's socio-emotional and cognitive development. A plausible intermediate phenotype underlying this association is father's impact on infant brain. However, research on the association between paternal caregiving and child brain biology is scarce, particularly during infancy. Thus, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the relationship between observed father-infant interactions, specifically paternal sensitivity, and regional brain volumes in a community sample of 3-to-6-month-old infants (N = 28). We controlled for maternal sensitivity and examined the moderating role of infant communication on this relationship. T2-weighted MR images were acquired from infants during natural sleep. Higher levels of paternal sensitivity were associated with smaller cerebellar volumes in infants with high communication levels. In contrast, paternal sensitivity was not associated with subcortical grey matter volumes in the whole sample, and this was similar in infants with both high and low communication levels. This preliminary study provides the first evidence for an association between father-child interactions and variation in infant brain anatomy.",

keywords = "Adult, Brain/physiopathology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Father-Child Relations, Fathers, Female, Humans, Infant, Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods, Male",

author = "Vaheshta Sethna and Jasmine Siew and In{\^e}s Pote and Siying Wang and Maria Gudbrandsen and Charlotte Lee and Emily Perry and Adams, {Kerrie P H} and Clare Watson and Johanna Kangas and Vladimira Stoencheva and Eileen Daly and Maria Kuklisova-Murgasova and Williams, {Steven C R} and Craig, {Michael C} and Murphy, {Declan G M} and McAlonan, {Grainne M}",

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Sethna, V, Siew, J, Pote, I, Wang, S, Gudbrandsen, M, Lee, C, Perry, E, Adams, KPH, Watson, C, Kangas, J, Stoencheva, V, Daly, E, Kuklisova-Murgasova, M, Williams, SCR, Craig, MC, Murphy, DGM & McAlonan, GM 2019, 'Father-infant interactions and infant regional brain volumes: A cross-sectional MRI study', Developmental cognitive neuroscience, vol. 40, pp. 100721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100721

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T1 - Father-infant interactions and infant regional brain volumes

T2 - A cross-sectional MRI study

AU - Sethna, Vaheshta

AU - Siew, Jasmine

AU - Pote, Inês

AU - Wang, Siying

AU - Gudbrandsen, Maria

AU - Lee, Charlotte

AU - Perry, Emily

AU - Adams, Kerrie P H

AU - Watson, Clare

AU - Kangas, Johanna

AU - Stoencheva, Vladimira

AU - Daly, Eileen

AU - Kuklisova-Murgasova, Maria

AU - Williams, Steven C R

AU - Craig, Michael C

AU - Murphy, Declan G M

AU - McAlonan, Grainne M

PY - 2019/12/1

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AB - Fathers play a crucial role in their children's socio-emotional and cognitive development. A plausible intermediate phenotype underlying this association is father's impact on infant brain. However, research on the association between paternal caregiving and child brain biology is scarce, particularly during infancy. Thus, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the relationship between observed father-infant interactions, specifically paternal sensitivity, and regional brain volumes in a community sample of 3-to-6-month-old infants (N = 28). We controlled for maternal sensitivity and examined the moderating role of infant communication on this relationship. T2-weighted MR images were acquired from infants during natural sleep. Higher levels of paternal sensitivity were associated with smaller cerebellar volumes in infants with high communication levels. In contrast, paternal sensitivity was not associated with subcortical grey matter volumes in the whole sample, and this was similar in infants with both high and low communication levels. This preliminary study provides the first evidence for an association between father-child interactions and variation in infant brain anatomy.

KW - Adult

KW - Brain/physiopathology

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Father-Child Relations

KW - Fathers

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Infant

KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods

KW - Male

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DO - 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100721

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SN - 1878-9293

VL - 40

SP - 100721

JO - Developmental cognitive neuroscience

JF - Developmental cognitive neuroscience

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