Abstract
When Mothers Go Wrong: Likely Neural Undercurrents Related to Poor Parenting
Highlights
Susan Smith drives her car and two young boys into a lake in South Carolina, killing the children
We ask, can that most hard-wired of mammalian behaviors – the very word “mammal” derives from the act of caring – go awry? Why and in what ways do mothers vary in their degree of maternal motivation/care?
Reduced medial preoptic area neural activity is associated with poor maternal behavior (Numan and Insel, 2003), much as reductions in frontal lobe volume recently reported in human mothers may be related to fewer positive thoughts toward young (Kim et al, 2010)
Summary
Susan Smith drives her car and two young boys into a lake in South Carolina, killing the children. Why and in what ways do mothers vary in their degree of maternal motivation/care? Brown et al (1996) established a regulatory role for the fosB gene in the display of mouse maternal behavior.
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