Quality of mothering relies on the integrity of multiple physiological and behavioral systems
and on two maternal factors, one proximal and one distal, that have a great impact on how a …

Humans are fundamentally social creatures who are 'motivated'to be with others. In this
review we examine the role of oxytocin (OT) as it relates to social motivation. OT is …

Background: Research points to the importance of breastfeeding for promoting close mother–
infant contact and socialemotional development. Recent functional magnetic resonance …

Interacting parenting thoughts and behaviors, supported by key brain circuits, critically
shape human infants' current and future behavior. Indeed, the parent–infant relationship …

This overview attempts to synthesise current understandings of the neuroendocrine basis of
parenting. The parent–infant bond is central to the human condition, contributes to risks for …

Humans invest precious reproductive resources in just a few offspring, who remain
vulnerable for an extended period of their lifetimes relative to other primates. Therefore, it is …

Touch is the most basic mammalian maternal behavior. As soon asan infant is born,
mammalian mothers begin to engage in the species-typical repertoire of maternal behavior …

This overview is a synthesis of our current understanding of parent–infant bonding, chiefly
from the perspective of the parent's brain physiology. The parent–infant bond is central to the …

We review the effects of genes and family resources on families and children. Poverty
increases children's exposures to environmental risk factors such as child abuse, poor …