The neural correlates of maternal and romantic love

Bartels, Andreas; Zeki, Semir

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.11.003

Cited by 1,248 publications

(941 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…Strikingly, however, this mechanism was disturbed in those women using HC, indicating that the partner-specific modulatory effects of OXT are antagonized by gonadal steroids. Both the NAcc and VTA have previously been identified as reward-associated brain regions activated by viewing the face of a romantic partner while recalling shared experiences with him or her (Bartels and Zeki, 2004;Aron et al, 2005;Acevedo et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face

Scheele¹,

Plota²,

Stoffel‐Wagner

et al. 2015

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

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The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) has been identified as a key modulator of pair-bonding in men, but its effects in women are still elusive. Moreover, there is substantial evidence that hormonal contraception (HC) influences partner preferences and sexual satisfaction, which constitute core domains of OXT function. We thus hypothesized that OXT effects on partner-related behavioral and neural responses could be significantly altered in women using HC. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study involving 40 pair-bonded women, 21 of whom were using HC, we investigated whether a 24-IU nasal dose of OXT would modulate brain reward responses evoked by the romantic partner's face relative to the faces of familiar and unfamiliar people. Treatment with OXT increased the perceived attractiveness of the partner relative to other men, which was paralleled by elevated responses in reward-associated regions, including the nucleus accumbens. These effects of OXT were absent in women using HC. Our results confirm and extend previous findings in men that OXT interacts with the brain reward system to reinforce partner value representations, indicating a common OXT-dependent mechanism underlying partner attraction in both sexes. This mechanism may be disturbed in women using HC, suggesting that gonadal steroids could alter partner-specific OXT effects.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face

Scheele¹,

Plota²,

Stoffel‐Wagner

et al. 2015

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

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“…Thus, it is notable that areas of the human brain which, using magnetic resonance imaging, have been shown to be responsive to babies crying include the brain's reward structures (mesolimbic DA from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), ventral striatum and amygdala). These same regions of the brain are also active in the context of romantic love (Bartels & Zeki 2004).…”

Section: Social and Maternal Bonding In Primatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother–infant bonding and the evolution of mammalian social relationships

Broad

Curley

Keverne

2006

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

229

193

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A wide variety of maternal, social and sexual bonding strategies have been described across mammalian species, including humans. Many of the neural and hormonal mechanisms that underpin the formation and maintenance of these bonds demonstrate a considerable degree of evolutionary conservation across a representative range of these species. However, there is also a considerable degree of diversity in both the way these mechanisms are activated and in the behavioural responses that result. In the majority of small-brained mammals (including rodents), the formation of a maternal or partner preference bond requires individual recognition by olfactory cues, activation of neural mechanisms concerned with social reward by these cues and gender-specific hormonal priming for behavioural output. With the evolutionary increase of neocortex seen in monkeys and apes, there has been a corresponding increase in the complexity of social relationships and bonding strategies together with a significant redundancy in hormonal priming for motivated behaviour. Olfactory recognition and olfactory inputs to areas of the brain concerned with social reward are downregulated and recognition is based on integration of multimodal sensory cues requiring an expanded neocortex, particularly the association cortex. This emancipation from olfactory and hormonal determinants of bonding has been succeeded by the increased importance of social learning that is necessitated by living in a complex social world and, especially in humans, a world that is dominated by cultural inheritance.

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“…The anterior insula (including both superior and inferior components) was activated when partners in the prisoner's dilemma game failed to reciprocate co-operative moves made by the subject, which is a type of social error signal (Rilling et al 2008). Anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex are also activated by pro-social signals, such as love and trust (Bartels and Zeki 2004;Singer et al 2004b), which suggests that these structures register both negative and positive aspects of the states of social networks. The responses of FI and LA are parametrically related to how humorous subjects judge cartoons to be; the humorous content of the cartoons typically involved social errors (Watson et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The von Economo neurons in frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortex in great apes and humans

et al. 2010

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The von Economo neurons (VENs) are large bipolar neurons located in frontoinsular (FI) and anterior cingulate cortex in great apes and humans, but not other primates. We performed stereological counts of the VENs in FI and LA (limbic anterior, a component of anterior cingulate cortex) in great apes and in humans. The VENs are more numerous in humans than in apes, although one gorilla approached the lower end of the human range. We also examined the ontological development of the VENs in FI and LA in humans. The VENs first appear in small numbers in the 36th week post-conception, are rare at birth, and increase in number during the first 8 months after birth. There are significantly more VENs in the right hemisphere than in the left in FI and LA in postnatal brains of apes and humans. This asymmetry in VEN numbers may be related to asymmetries in the autonomic nervous system. The activity of the inferior anterior insula, which contains FI, is related to physiological changes in the body, decisionmaking, error recognition, and awareness. The VENs appear to be projection neurons, although their targets are unknown. We made a preliminary study of the connections of FI cortex based on diffusion tensor imaging in the brain of a gorilla. The VEN-containing regions connect to the frontal pole as well as to other parts of frontal and insular cortex, the septum, and the amygdala. It is likely that the VENs in FI are projecting to some or all of these structures and relaying information related to autonomic control, decision-making, or awareness. The VENs selectively express the bombesin peptides neuromedin B (NMB) and gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) which are also expressed in another population of closely related neurons, the fork cells. NMB and GRP signal satiety. The genes for NMB and GRP are expressed selectively in small populations of neurons in the insular cortex in mice. These populations may be related to the VEN and fork cells and may be involved in the regulation of appetite. The loss of these cells may be related to the loss of satiety signaling in patients with frontotemporal dementia who have damage to FI. The VENs and fork cells may be morphological specializations of an ancient population of neurons involved in the control of appetite present in the insular cortex in all mammals. We found that the protein encoded by the gene DISC1 (disrupted in schizophrenia) is preferentially expressed by the VENs. DISC1 has undergone rapid evolutionary change in the line leading to humans, and since it suppresses dendritic branching it may be involved in the distinctive VEN morphology.

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The neural correlates of maternal and romantic love

Cited by 1,248 publications

References 95 publications

Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face

Hormonal contraceptives suppress oxytocin-induced brain reward responses to the partner’s face

Mother–infant bonding and the evolution of mammalian social relationships

The von Economo neurons in frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortex in great apes and humans

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