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Numerous event-related potential (ERP) studies have examined adults’ neural responses to child emotional expressions to understand the neurobiological mechanisms contributing to caregiving. It is unclear, however, whether one emotion evokes an enhanced response across components, and whether this pattern differs based on parent status or other sample characteristics. This meta-analysis quantified adult responses to child emotional expressions at the N170 and the late positive potential (LPP) components. Cohen’s d reflected the difference between crying and neutral (CN), crying and laughing (CL), and laughing and neutral (LN) N170 and LPP amplitudes. Crying expressions elicited slightly enhanced N170 and LPP amplitudes relative to neutral and laughing expressions (N170 CN: k = 24, d = −0.09, p < 0.001; N170 CL: k = 30, d = −0.07, p = .004; LPP CN: k = 20, d = 0.12, p = .027; LPP CL: k = 27, d = 0.10, p < .001), and laughing expressions elicited slightly enhanced N170 amplitudes relative to neutral expressions (N170 LN: k = 21, d = −0.05, p = .02). Parental status, child age, risk factors for insensitive caregiving, and measurement characteristics moderated some effect sizes, with reference electrode emerging as the most consistent moderator. Results shed light on the typical pattern of neural response to child emotions and characteristics that may moderate this response.

Research with rodents and nonhuman primates suggests that maternal prenatal dietary fat intake is associated with offspring behavioral functioning indicative of risk for psychopathology. The extent to which these findings extend to humans remains unknown. The current study administered the Automated Self-Administered 24 hr Dietary Recall Questionnaire three times in pregnancy (n = 48) to examine women’s dietary fat intake in relation to infant temperament assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire at 4-months old. The amount of saturated fat that the mother consumed was considered as a moderator of the association between total fat intake and child temperament. Results from a series of multiple linear regressions indicate that greater total fat intake was associated with poorer infant regulation and lower surgency. However, this second effect was moderated by maternal saturated fat intake, such that total fat intake was only related to infant surgency when mothers consumed above the daily recommended allowance of saturated fat. Under conditions of high total fat and high saturated fat, infants were rated as lower on surgency; under conditions of low total fat yet high saturated fat, infants were rated as higher on surgency. There were no associations between maternal prenatal fat intake and infant negative reactivity. These findings provide preliminary evidence that pregnant women’s dietary fat intake is associated with infants’ behavioral development, though future research is needed to address this report’s limitations: a relatively small sample size, the use of self-report measures, and a lack of consideration of maternal and infant postnatal diet.

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Maltreating mothers often struggle to respond sensitively to their children's distress. Examining psychophysiological processing of own child cues may offer insight into neurobiological mechanisms that promote sensitive parenting among high-risk mothers. The current study used event-related potential (ERP) methodology to examine associations between mothers' neural responses to their own child versus other children and observed sensitivity to distress. Participants included 73 mothers: 42 with histories of child protective services (CPS) involvement and 31 low-risk comparison mothers. Maternal sensitivity to child distress was coded from observations of children's blood sample collection. Late positive potential (LPP) ERP responses, which reflect sustained attention to emotionally salient stimuli, were measured when mothers viewed photos of their own child and other children. An own-other LPP difference score (own-other LPP) was computed by regressing the mean amplitude of mothers' LPP to their own child on the mean amplitude of mothers' LPP to other children. CPS-referred mothers and low-risk mothers did not differ in their LPP responses to own child, other children, or the own-other LPP. However, there was a significant interaction between group (CPS-referred vs. low-risk) and own-other LPP in predicting maternal sensitivity. Among the CPS-referred mothers, own-other LPP was significantly correlated with maternal sensitivity, with greater LPP amplitude to own versus other child associated with higher maternal sensitivity. In contrast, among the low-risk group, own-other LPP was not significantly correlated with maternal sensitivity. Findings add to our understanding of the neurobiology of sensitive parenting among high-risk mothers. (PsycINFO Database Record