TY - JOUR
T1 - Maternal odor reduces the neural response to fearful faces in human infants
AU - Jessen, Sarah
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by funding of the German Research Foundation (DFG, grant-number JE 781/1-1 & 2 ). We thank Leonie Emmerich and Aylin Ulubas for help with the data acquisition, Jonas Obleser for helpful comments on the manuscript, and all the families for participating.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Maternal odor is known to play an important role in mother-infant-interaction in many altricial species such as rodents. However, we only know very little about its role in early human development. The present study therefore investigated the impact of maternal odor on infant brain responses to emotional expression. We recorded the electroencephalographic (EEG) signal of seven-month-old infants watching happy and fearful faces. Infants in two control groups exposed to no specific odor (control 1) or the odor of a different infant's mother (control 2) showed the expected EEG fear response. Crucially, this response was markedly absent in the experimental group exposed to their mother's odor. Thus, infants respond differently to fear signals in the presence of maternal odor. Our data therefore suggest that maternal odor can be a strong modulator of social perception in human infants.
AB - Maternal odor is known to play an important role in mother-infant-interaction in many altricial species such as rodents. However, we only know very little about its role in early human development. The present study therefore investigated the impact of maternal odor on infant brain responses to emotional expression. We recorded the electroencephalographic (EEG) signal of seven-month-old infants watching happy and fearful faces. Infants in two control groups exposed to no specific odor (control 1) or the odor of a different infant's mother (control 2) showed the expected EEG fear response. Crucially, this response was markedly absent in the experimental group exposed to their mother's odor. Thus, infants respond differently to fear signals in the presence of maternal odor. Our data therefore suggest that maternal odor can be a strong modulator of social perception in human infants.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090599442&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100858
DO - 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100858
M3 - Scientific review articles
C2 - 32927245
AN - SCOPUS:85090599442
SN - 1878-9293
VL - 45
JO - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
JF - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
M1 - 100858
ER -
