Tobacco Smoking And The Resting Maternal Brain: A Preliminary Study Of Frontal EEG

Tobacco smoking has been attributed to a wide range of detrimental health consequences for both women and their children. In addition to its known physical health effects, smoking may also impact maternal neural responses and subsequent caregiving behavior. To begin investigating this issue, we employed electroencephalography (EEG) to examine resting neural oscillations of tobacco-smoking mothers (n = 35) and non-smoking mothers (n = 35). We examined seven EEG frequency bands recorded from frontal electrode sites (delta, theta, alpha, alpha1, alpha2, beta, and gamma). While no between-group differences were present in high-frequency bands (alpha2, beta, gamma), smokers showed greater spectral power in low-frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, alpha1) compared to non-smokers. This increased power in low-frequency bands of tobacco-smoking mothers is consistent with a less aroused state and may be one mechanism through which smoking might affect the maternal brain and caregiving behavior

The Transition to Motherhood: Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience Perspectives

Motherhood is a unique transitional period in adulthood accompanied by distinct changes in the mind and brain. Although psychoanalytic and neuroscientific theory employ different levels of abstraction and methodology, there could be value in considering the synergy between the two fields for understanding this critical transitional period for women. Here, we review this literature and present a joint model of the neurobiological and psychic reorganization that might occur to support motherhood. Our approach highlights the value of considering multiple perspectives theoretically, as well as clinically, given the insight of neuroscience and psychoanalysis to the development and refinement of parenting interventions